


The Living Museum

by XpaperplaneX



Series: The Living Museum [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gun Violence, Love at First Sight, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Past Underage, Prostitution, Sex Work, Unrealistic Sex, untagged kinks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:48:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 29,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25401862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XpaperplaneX/pseuds/XpaperplaneX
Summary: In the city-state of Midgar, run by the ultra-powerful Shinra Corporation, there exists a very specialized museum. Founded some six years ago, the Living Museum offers a different sort of experience for its patrons. Here, one’s wildest dreams can come true as an army of living exhibits put on displays for the discerning and wealthy public behind closed doors.It is here that SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth, looking to blow off some steam one weekend, meets an irresistible exhibit. There’s no such thing as soulmates, but exhibit number CS-118 feels like his.
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife
Series: The Living Museum [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1900714
Comments: 94
Kudos: 205





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Important note!: Okay, so there are a heck of a lot of kinks that randomly stroll by in this first chapter and I could not be assed to tag them. Read at your own risk. However, I will warn for scat. There's an in-text warning that it's coming up, and then the actual act is two paragraphs that can be skipped if you don't want to read it.
> 
> Just me rambling note!: I wrote this in, according to the date on my OneNote file, December of 2018. I hadn't thought it had been that long. I'm posting in celebration of surviving (maybe without failing anything) the worst term ever because I couldn't go out to dinner to celebrate. It was just a silly idea I had that was, as is so often the case, meant to be a one-shot that I then added more to.

Sephiroth arrived just as the museum reception opened at 9:30. Considering the price of admission for a full day entry, he wanted to be sure he got his money’s worth and didn't miss the first tour. He passed through two sets of opaque glass doors before arriving at the reception, which was dimly lit, but very elegantly decorated. 

“Good morning, sir. Do you have a reservation?” the man at the counter asked. 

“Yes, under Sephiroth,” he said. 

The receptionist glanced up and his eyes widened with recognition. Sephiroth was already wearing the wig he had chosen to hide his identity from the other patrons, but he knew he was still recognizable if people knew what they were looking for. He quickly typed a few things into his computer, then nodded. “Right, here’s your wrist band. Tap it to charge food and beverage purchases to your account. Now if you’d like to take the door on your left, you’ll find the change rooms. Please change into one of the provided robes and choose a mask. Once you’ve changed and placed your personal effects in a locker, using your wristband to lock it, you can go through to the waiting room. Since this is your first time, the tour is mandatory, and the first one begins at ten o’clock. Please remember that no cameras or recording devices of any kind are permitted in the exhibition areas, so leave your phone in your locker.”

“Understood.”

In the change room, Sephiroth quickly stripped and put on one of the black silk robes that were hanging in each cubicle. He was the only person in there at first, but he heard someone else enter while he was choosing an elaborately decorated mask. He hoped the first tour of the day wouldn’t be too busy, although he understood that they limited the numbers. He settled on a silver mask that fit comfortably and didn’t interfere with his vision at all, locked up his things, and headed to the waiting room.

He sat down in a comfortable chair and took a glass of water one of the staff offered to him. On the wall ahead was a large screen that was cycling through the rules and information about the museum that he had already read carefully before he made his reservation.

“Do not touch the exhibits unless given permission to do so by a curator.”

“Do not touch your fellow patrons.”

"Follow the instructions of the curators when engaging with interactive exhibits.”

"Exhibits are closely monitored at all times. However, if an exhibit appears to be in distress and you are concerned, please inform the nearest curator."

“Remain with your tour group for the duration. After the tour ends, you may return to the various exhibitions at your leisure.”

“Not all exhibitions appeal to everyone. If you do not wish to view a particular exhibition, speak to your tour leader and you will be guided to meet up with your group after the viewing.”

“Due to the nature of the museum, it can be difficult to maintain a strict schedule. The attending curators can tell you of expected start and finish times for exhibitions you are interested in, but they are not guaranteed.”

“When you wish to relieve yourself, please make use of the provided depositories.”

“Out of courtesy to other patrons, robes and masks must be worn at all times.”

“Keep your voice low to avoid disturbing both the exhibits and other patrons.”

“Give priority to tour groups when revisiting exhibitions.”

“Food and drink are not permitted outside the lounge area.”

“Drunken, intoxicated, or aggressive behaviour is not tolerated.”

As the notices scrolled by, two other robed and masked men entered the waiting room and took their seats. Shortly before ten, another door opened, and a young man stepped through. He was wearing a black suit and had long red hair with black roots pulled back in a ponytail, leaving matching crescent-shaped red tattoos visible on his cheekbones. 

“Good morning, gentlemen,” he said, standing at the front of the room. “And welcome to the Living Museum. My name is Red, and I’ll be your tour guide for today. The tour takes about two hours, depending on how quickly we move through the exhibitions. After that, you’re free to spend as much time as you’d like, and I’ll still be around, ready to answer any questions you might have. I know you’re anxious to get started, but before we begin, does anyone have any questions?”

“Where’re these depositories?” the second man, who wore a green and gold mask, asked.

“There are several located within each exhibition room. I’ll point them out to you when we go in. Anything else?” When there was no response, Red clapped his hands together. “Then let’s begin!”

They got to their feet and Red led them down a long, dimly lit hallway, then they entered what must have been the lounge. A large bar was in the centre of the room, and there were tables surrounding it. Numerous exits led out into what Sephiroth assumed were the exhibition rooms.

“If you’re having a meal, I recommend the shrimp scampi,” Red said. “It’s simply to die for. Toilets are to the right. There are tablets located here in the lounge and throughout the museum that will display up to date information on the exhibitions as well as a map of the layout. And that’s enough of the boring stuff, let’s get to the show.”

Finally, Sephiroth thought. He appreciated the thought that had been put into designing the museum, but surely information like that could wait until after the tour. Red took them through a large opening on their left and around a wall, and there was the first exhibit. 

Three well-lit platforms were located in the centre of the dim room. A naked young man was on each one. The two on the left and right were on their backs, while the one in the middle was on his hands and knees. All three had dildos attached to pistons pumping in and out of their anuses. 

“We begin with the simpler exhibitions,” Red said softly as they stared at the three platforms. “These exhibits are still in training, and are learning to come from penetration alone. Do you think one will pop soon?” he directed the question towards a man in a dark suit who stood at the edge of the room.

The curator stepped forward and looked at each exhibit in turn. “AN-209 probably will in a few minutes,” he said, gesturing to the man on the right. “Come take a closer look.”

They all stepped closer and surrounded the platform. He was beautiful, Sephiroth noted, though of course he would be. They would hardly pick ugly people for something like this. He had big brown eyes that stared at his viewers with wanton lust. His lips were plump and flushed bright red, and he darted his tongue out to lick them occasionally as he panted and grunted with the thrusts. There was a screen at the base of the platform:

Exhibit number: AN-209  
Age: 19  
Height: 178 cm  
Erection size: 13.1 cm length, 3.9 cm diameter  
Dildo size: 10 cm length, 4 cm diameter  
Today’s ejaculation count: 0

The piston was nearly silent and all they could really hear was the exhibit’s moans. It appeared that the curator was right, his arousal was definitely increasing rapidly. His cock was rock hard and dripping pre-come down onto his smooth stomach. It only took another thirty or so seconds before AN-209 cried out and his cock began to spurt. The machine continued relentlessly as semen splattered all over the man’s chest and stomach. Even after the orgasm had passed, the machine continued. 

Sephiroth glanced down at the screen again and saw that the ejaculation count had been updated to one.

“You can use a finger to take some of it if you’d like a taste,” the curator said.

Sephiroth did so, sliding his finger through the warm puddle and bringing it to his lips. It was a heady flavour and he stiffened even more beneath his robe. It was hard to believe that this was just the first exhibition and he was already this hard. 

“Will it just continue to fuck him?” he asked.

“Yes. We stop to relubricate as required, and they get a break after two hours.”

“Shall we move on?” Red asked. “These, by the way, are the depositories.” He stopped at a lump on the floor that Sephiroth hadn’t noticed due to the lighting and his distraction with the display. He stepped closer and saw an unlit platform with someone bent over a padded wedge shape on it. His eyes and ears were covered, and he didn’t move as Red patted his upturned ass. “You can adjust the height to suit you using these buttons, then simply open your robe and make your deposit. They’re positioned so you can still watch the exhibitions while you’re doing so. We ask that you don’t move them around or do anything them except relieve yourself. Being a depository is a chance for the exhibits to have a bit of a rest from performing. There are wet towels here for cleaning yourself up after you finish.” He indicated to a glass door in the base of the platform.

“Do all the exhibits also work as depositories?” one of the other men asked.

“Most do, but some of the more specialized exhibits are unsuitable for the task due to the nature of their exhibitions.”

They moved on to the oral room, where several exhibits performed using dildos again, but they also saw their first multi-person exhibitions. They watched a muscular man face fuck a smaller one as tears streamed down his face, and two exhibits sucked each other off simultaneously. Sephiroth particularly enjoyed the exhibit who was on his knees, sucking a dildo while bracing himself against the short glass wall it was affixed to. He was able to stand right in front of him, and the exhibit looked up at him with watery eyes and widely stretched lips as the dildo plunged in and out of his throat.

“Would you like to see it come?” The attending curator asked after he had been watching for a few minutes.

Sephiroth looked up in surprise. “Come?”

“Yes, this is one of the interactive exhibits. Just tell him if you want him to swallow or take it on his face, then press this button to cause the dildo to ejaculate.” He pointed to a button on the side of the display. “Hold it down until you’re satisfied. It holds quite a lot,” he added with a grin before stepping back and letting Sephiroth watch alone again.

The boy teased the dildo, giving it long licks and sucking on the tip before taking it deep again. Sephiroth was filled with the urge to take out his cock and replace the dildo with it, but he recalled the rules and restrained himself.

“I want you to take it in your mouth for a couple seconds, but don’t swallow. Then pull back and take the rest on your face. Open your mouth and let what’s in it come out.”

The boy blinked in acknowledgment of his orders and began to suck shallowly. Sephiroth pressed the button down and heard a squirting sound. A few seconds later, the exhibit pulled back and the dildo spurted white fluid over his face and into his gaping, dripping mouth. It was surprisingly realistic apart from the quantity of ejaculate, and Sephiroth’s cock jerked at the sight. He kept it up until the fluid was dripping down onto the boy’s chest and to the floor.

“Thank you,” he said to both the exhibit and the curator, who had a towel ready for the exhibit as he turned away. 

Red had them move on to watch an exhibit being double-penetrated and fucked orally at the same time. He could barely be seen between the other three bodies. Sephiroth found a depository with a good angle from which to watch and adjusted the height before pushing into the warm hole that was just waiting for him. The depository didn’t react at all while Sephiroth fucked him hard and came as the exhibit being penetrated cried out his own orgasm.

Eventually they returned to the lounge and saw another tour group entering the first room. Several other people were wandering in and out of the side rooms freely. “This is where things start getting a bit kinkier,” Red explained. “If you’re uncomfortable with any of the exhibitions, just let me know.”

They passed through several BDSM rooms, which held tied up exhibits that were being spanked and whipped, or made to perform humiliating acts. One particularly intriguing exhibition featured a rather small exhibit who was suspended above a massive, only slightly tapered dildo. The curator controlled the ropes that suspended him from a harness, and they watched as the boy was slowly impaled. He cried and begged as it went deeper and deeper, pushed in by his own weight. 

The sign in front of the exhibit told him that the dildo was 12 cm at its widest and 28 cm long.

“This is one of the exhibits that doesn’t serve as a depository,” Red said. “He needs the time when he’s not performing to recover.”

Once the exhibit was fully impaled, they were invited to go up and touch the boy’s belly, feeling how it was actually bulging. Sephiroth was shocked to see that his cock was rock hard, with apparently nothing keeping him that way. The show wasn’t over once they stepped back, and Sephiroth helped himself to another depository while the curator bounced the boy up and down, fucking him on the dildo. Another one stepped up with a riding crop and began to spank the boy’s cock and balls, making him cry out in pain. To his great shock, the boy suddenly wailed and shuddered, his cock jerking as he came.

The exhibit slumped, and the curators lifted him off the dildo and let him down, allowing them see his ruined hole. It was gaping, entirely unable to close, and his cock slowly softened in a puddle of his ejaculate. Sephiroth wiped himself off with a warm towel and gave his head a shake. He couldn’t believe the boy had managed to orgasm from that. That was impressive. 

The sheer number of exhibitions was overwhelming. They rotated in and out as they moved through. Sephiroth recognized some from previous exhibits, now performing different acts. Still, he thought there must be fifty of them at least. And he knew that they weren’t seeing everything. Given the nature of some of the performances, they weren’t something that could just be repeated for each tour all day long. He wondered how much recovery time the boy who had taken the dildo needed. He couldn’t imagine that he’d be able to do it more than once a day.

Towards the end of the tour, Red warned them that the next exhibition featured scat, and while the green and gold masked man excused himself from it, Sephiroth was curious. He didn’t think he would be turned on by it, but he thought it might be interesting to see, even just for the experience. A large number of other people were in the exhibition room, waiting for it to start.

“This exhibit is one of our most popular amongst people who enjoy scat,” Red explained. “He’s had some very specialized training and is completely unique among all our exhibits. He only performs once per day, hence the crowd. As first-time viewers, you can move up closer to the front if you wish.”

The other man they were with grinned. “I’ve heard about this one. One of the main reasons I decided to come.”

“Then please, by all means move up.” Red went forward and spoke to some people, who moved aside and freed up a depository for his use. “Would you like to move up as well?” he asked when he came back.

Sephiroth frowned. “I don’t think so. I’ve never been into scat, but am simply curious to see the performance.”

Red nodded his understanding. “It’s not my cup of tea either, and the smell can be pretty intense up close. But we don’t judge kinks here.”

The room went silent as the stage lit up and a black-haired exhibit walked out. He lay on his back on a padded, plastic covered table, and placed his feet into a pair of stirrups, spreading his legs wide. Genitals and anus in full view, the exhibit began to masturbate himself. It was hot, and Sephiroth stiffened as he watched. Many other people were already balls deep in a depository, and Sephiroth wondered if he might like one as well. He restrained himself for now, though. If the full performance _did_ turn him on, he could always use one after, and if it didn’t, he didn’t want to be disgusted in the middle of trying to fuck.

The exhibit’s hand began to move faster and his moans grew louder. With no further warning, a jet of come burst from him at the exact same moment as there was a loud noise and the man shit himself. It was quite liquid and shot out of his body at an astonishing speed, splattering over the table and dais. He continued jerking off and reached down with his other hand to push four fingers into his disgusting hole and fuck himself as more shit oozed out around them. 

Even from further back, the smell was almost overwhelming, and Sephiroth held his hand to his nose, erection gone. “I think I’ve seen enough,” he said to Red.

“Of course.” Red looked as though he wanted to leave as well, but maintained his professionalism and led him to the door. “It shouldn’t be too much of a wait. The cleaning crew likes to get in quickly.”

The man who had waited outside was watching an exhibit who was sounding himself and Sephiroth went over to join him.

“How was it?” he asked.

“Quite possibly the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen, and trust me, that is saying something. I think you made the smart decision, but curiosity got the better of me.”

The man laughed. “I don’t get how anyone can find it appealing. This, on the other hand …”

The exhibit, who was sprawled out in a comfortable-looking chair, smiled at them and twirled the sound around in his penis before withdrawing it nearly all the way. He fucked himself with just the tip, then penetrated himself fully once more.

“Yes, this is definitely better. You're lovely.” 

The exhibit was blonde and had bright blue eyes and pale skin that flushed at their comments. He shifted and spread his legs, revealing that he had a toy embedded in his ass. There was a piece that looked like a handle that could be gripped. A nearby curator stepped forward and spoke quietly.

“Would one of you like to bring him off? He can’t ejaculate right now, but this is his signal that he’s building up to an internal orgasm and would like some help with it. Just rock the toy up and down to massage his prostate.”

“Go ahead,” the other man said to him. “Give yourself a distraction from the last one.”

“Thank you.” Sephiroth found the boy stunningly attractive, and he wasn’t about to turn down the offer. He dropped to one knee and gripped the handle of the toy. The curator showed him how to rock it, and he matched his movements to the boy’s pace as he continued to fuck himself with the sound.

After only a couple more minutes, the exhibit cried out and his head fell back, mouth sagging open as his body shuddered. Sephiroth could feel his muscles working through the toy. He maintained his steady rhythm with the sound, but stroked his cock with his other hand as well. Nothing came out; ejaculation was prevented by both the sound and the tight cock ring he wore, but Sephiroth felt certain it had been a powerful orgasm nonetheless. His cock surged when the boy opened his eyes and smiled at him.

“Thank you,” he murmured, giving the toy one final wiggle before letting go. “That was beautiful.”

Sephiroth moved back to the depository that his tour-mate was just stepping away from and pushed in, not caring about the mess the other had left behind. He groaned with desire as the exhibit, whose number was CS-118, left his legs spread open and continued to stroke himself with the sound embedded deep inside. The exhibit didn’t break eye contact and matched his strokes to Sephiroth’s thrusts into the depository. 

He could only stare helplessly as CS-118 began to shudder again, crying out in orgasm once more. It wasn’t as powerful an orgasm as he had just had, but it definitely was one. Watching him, Sephiroth fucked the depository he was using harder and came with a loud groan of satisfaction. 

When he had cleaned himself up and retied his robe, he saw that Red and their third tour-mate were back. 

“So he really shits every time he comes? What if he doesn’t need to?” the man was saying.

“It’s perhaps more accurate to say that he comes every time he shits,” Red explained. “He can’t orgasm without it. If he doesn’t have anything ready to come out, he can masturbate all day and never come.”

“That’s amazing! Such a shame it’s only once a day, or I know where I’d be spending all my time after the tour. Still, I hear the other scat exhibitions are good.”

Sephiroth couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose in disgust, and he turned away so the other man wouldn’t see his expression. CS-118 met his eyes and gave him an almost laughing smile as the curator helped him out of his seat and led him away to a back room. The boy’s image remained with him as they wound down the tour, back to some tamer exhibits.

“And that about wraps it up,” Red said as he led them out of the final exhibition room and back into the lounge. “My recommendation is to get some lunch and plot out how you’d like to spend the rest of your day. If you’ve got any questions, just flag me down. I’ll be here.”

Sephiroth followed that advice, and ordered a plate of pasta while he looked at one of the tablets. To his disappointment, he could only find information about the exhibitions, not the exhibits themselves. Annoyed, he caught Red’s attention.

“What can I do for you?”

“I want to know where to find a specific exhibit. I think he finished at the exhibition he was assigned to, but I want to see him again. He is … very much my type.”

“Which one?” Red asked.

“CS-118.”

Oh, yeah, he’s definitely a favourite. We’re not actually supposed to give out the schedules of the general exhibits. People following them around can make them uncomfortable. But I saw the way he was smiling at you—genuinely. He doesn’t do that for everyone. Or anyone, really, client-wise, at least. And he didn’t have to keep his legs open like he did. I think he might not mind. Let me just confirm with the boss.”

Sephiroth’s lunch arrived while he was waiting for Red to return. He supposed that if they didn’t want to give him the schedule, there was nothing in the rules preventing him from searching for the boy the hard way. He was in luck, however, and Red returned with a triumphant smile.

“He’s on break until 1:30, after which he’s back to prostate massage and sounding again. He’s scheduled for prostate penetration with a deep sound towards the end of it. I can put in a request for you to have an interaction then if you’d like.”

“Yes, please.” Sephiroth nearly stumbled over his words in his haste to agree.

Red winked and nodded. “It’s fucking hot. You wouldn’t believe how deep it goes. Ahem, at three-thirty he goes back to prep for his next exhibition, which is milking and will probably begin at around three-forty-five. As long as he’s not uncomfortable with it, I can also request an interaction there. Milking him usually takes about thirty minutes. When he’s finished, he gets a half hour break before going on depository duty. While I don’t have permission to tell you where he’ll be, his hair’s pretty recognizable.” Red winked again.

Sephiroth smirked. That was pretty much straight up giving him permission to seek out the boy to fuck. 

“We do, of course, ask that people don’t hog one particular depository.”

“Of course.”

“He has another break from six-thirty to seven, then he’s got an hour in the oral room before he’s done for the day.”

“He doesn’t finish at ten?” Sephiroth had been under the impression that the regular exhibits worked from open until close, with every other day off.

“No, with the prostate massage, he actually started at eight this morning so that he’d be fully into it and having internal orgasms by the time we opened. The massager also doesn’t come out during his breaks except for relubrication, so he doesn’t get any real downtime until after he’s been milked.”

“I understand. That’s probably quite exhausting.” Sephiroth wondered what exactly milking was. It wasn’t something they had seen on the tour. He didn’t ask, however, willing to let it be a surprise. Red would probably have warned him if it was something he might find unappealing.

"I've connected a copy of the schedule to your account. To see it, just hold your wristband to one of the tablets to log in and navigate from there."

"Thank you so much, I appreciate the accommodation. I promise I'll back off if he seems uncomfortable with me. He's permitted to say so, right?"

Red frowned. "Well, exhibits aren't allowed to speak on the floor unless it’s an emergency, but he can say so during his breaks or prep/cleanup time. And Rod, his main curator, knows him pretty well. He can usually tell right away when something is wrong."

"That's good. Thanks again." He finished off his lunch and went to watch a foreign object expulsion exhibition that sounded interesting. 

The exhibit was squatting over a large bowl when he entered the room, straining his muscles. Sephiroth was about to turn around and leave, not wanting to witness another scat display, when he noticed that a bright green ball emerging from the exhibit’s ass. It fell into the bowl with a thud, joining several others. Intrigued, Sephiroth stayed to watch the man’s hole stretch wide again and again as he expelled several rainbows worth of balls in various colours. This was definitely more his kink than scat. It was impressive how many his anus had held. The bowl was full by the time the curator informed the viewers that it was finished.

From there, he went and watched a threesome until shortly past one-thirty, when CS-118 would be back from his break and settled in. The boy was mid-orgasm when he found him, immediately recognizing the spiky blonde hair and the beautiful way he cried out his pleasure. He was leaning back in a chair this time, feet held up and apart in stirrups and his arms bound above his head. His cock was still confined, and it oozed pre-come without the sound in to stop it. CS-118 blinked his wide blue eyes when he saw him and gave him a sly smile before settling himself again to let the prostate massager do its work.

The patron who had been watching the show moved on, and Sephiroth stepped up closer to the exhibit. "You're amazing," he murmured softly. "Does that feel good?"

CS-118 blushed as he nodded almost shyly. Sephiroth watched, absolutely hypnotized as the boy, with seemingly no stimulation at all, gradually brought himself to orgasm again and again. He wasn't faking it, Sephiroth could see how his body reacted involuntarily each time. He wondered if it was painful to not be able to ejaculate.

Other patrons came and went while Sephiroth continued to watch. He used a depository twice, and CS-118 watched him both times, licking his lips and moaning when he came. Oh, how he wanted to actually fuck the boy, not imagine it was him instead of some other random hole. He had been there for over an hour when the same curator as before approached his side.

"I'm going to sound him now, using a larger one than he was using on himself before. Red mentioned that you would appreciate an interaction?"

"I would very much appreciate it," Sephiroth replied as CS-118 grinned and wiggled his hips, making his cock bounce.

"Very well. I'll give you instructions when the time comes."

Several people gathered to watch as the curator opened a box and let everyone see the long sound that would reach well past the base of the boy's penis. It was about the width of his pinky finger and had a curved end. The curator lubricated it well, and applied some to the tip of CS-118's cock, which jerked in excitement. He moaned loudly as the sound stretched open the tiny hole and slid in several centimetres. 

The curator stopped it from going further and rubbed the boy's belly gently, murmuring to him to relax. After a minute or so, he loosened his hold and let gravity pull it in a bit further. Pausing again, he made a small stirring motion that had the boy gasping. In that manner, the curator slowly and carefully eased the rod in. He didn't thrust it in and out like CS-118 had done with the smaller sound, and Sephiroth assumed it was probably too big to allow for movement like that without injuring him. 

"There you go, good job." The curator stopped again when over half had disappeared into the man’s body. "It's fully inside his penis now," he said, addressing the spectators. "I'm going to let him get used to it for a couple minutes, then we'll begin to stimulate his prostate directly."

CS-118 was breathing rapidly, his face flushed to match his cock, and he gazed up at Sephiroth, who couldn't look away. He only broke eye contact when the curator touched his elbow.

"Sir, would you like to help me?"

Sephiroth gulped and nodded, feeling his heart rate rise. 

"Okay, place your forefinger and thumb just above mine and hold your hand steady. You're going to rotate the sound and wiggle it slightly until you feel the entrance to his prostate. It will be just a slight change in pressure, so it may take a few tries to find."

The curator let go and Sephiroth concentrated intently as he moved the sound within the boy's body, feeling his reactions to every little thing through the shaft. Suddenly, something felt different and he paused. "Is this it?"

The curator took hold of the sound again and gave it a little wiggle. "Perfect. Well done. Now, ease the curved head in by tilting it slightly. If you feel resistance, stop immediately and let me check the positioning. Do not force it. It should slide in quite a bit deeper as you penetrate his prostate. He will almost certainly orgasm as it goes in. You can rock it gently for the duration, but don't attempt to thrust or push it further than it naturally goes."

Sephiroth looked up at the exhibit’s face and got a smile and a nod. He did as he was instructed and gasped as the sound suddenly slipped a shocking amount further in and CS-118 convulsed, crying out in pleasure. The curator held him steady as he writhed, stroking his wild locks, and Sephiroth rocked the sound very carefully, feeling the curved end move in and out of the area it had entered. That must be his prostate. He had had no idea it could be penetrated like this, and it appeared to be even more sensitive than when it was stimulated from behind. He suddenly remembered the massager that was still in CS-118's ass, and he glanced down to see it twitching madly. 

"Holy fuck," someone said behind him, "how long's he going to orgasm for?"

It seemed to Sephiroth that CS-118 never really stopped orgasming for the entire duration that he was allowed to continue manipulating the rod inside him. He would calm down slightly for a few breaths, then be gasping again moments later. His eyes were totally unfocussed now, and his gasping mouth hung open. Sephiroth had never been so aroused in his life. He had no idea how much time had passed, keeping the boy lost in a haze of pleasure before the curator touched his arm again.

"Time to ease up now," he said and took the sound from his hand.

He reluctantly let go, but caught the curator's eye as he withdrew his hand part way. "Can I touch him for just a second?"

The curator considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Briefly."

Sephiroth placed his hand on the boy's belly, which wasn't twitching so much now that the stimulation had stopped, and rubbed gently. Blue eyes fluttered open and caught his gaze. "That was so beautiful to see. Thank you." He withdrew before he had to be told to stop, then moved back to use a depository before he made a mess of his robe.

The other people who had been watching moved on, but Sephiroth stayed to watch as the curator withdrew the sound and put it away. He looked curiously at the stretched-out hole.

"You did well with that," the curator commented as he rubbed some ointment into the tip of CS-118's penis. "Most people are either too scared to move it at all, or they're too rough and we have to stop them."

"Thank you for the opportunity. I'm quite certain I'll be back."

"Glad to hear it. I'm sure he is as well. It's not often they get praised for their performances, hey, C?"

CS-118 shook his head and smiled at him again as he was untied and eased up to his feet. 

"Well, you did a wonderful job," he said sincerely. "I'd never seen anything like it."

The curator took the boy through a locked door, and Sephiroth found a tablet and tapped his wristband to it. CS-118–no, C sounded much better. C's schedule showed that he would be in the Milk Bar next. He tapped on the name to bring up the map. It was in a room they had been through in the morning, but hadn't had anything going on in it at the time. 

Red was there when he arrived. "Oh good, you made it," he said with a grin. "The first thing out of his mouth when he arrived in back was asking if you knew he'd be here. I think he's got a crush."

"Really?" Sephiroth asked, a smile spreading over his face. He was glad the boy didn't find his attraction off-putting.

Red grinned again. "Already spoke to the curators here. There'll be four exhibits for the show, and they pick four patrons to do the actual milking. You can do C."

His smile grew wider. "Wonderful. Though I have to admit, I don't know what milking is."

"Then you're in for a new experience. Don't worry, your supervising curator will explain the process."

A fairly large crowd had gathered as 3:45 came and went. At five to, a murmur was beginning to go through the waiting audience, and Red slipped away to find out what the delay was. He came back a couple minutes later, laughing.

"This is your fault," he said. "The exhibits have to be soft for the show, and they're having a hell of a time with C. Apparently he keeps thinking of you and accidentally stiffening up again."

Eventually the door opened and four exhibits came out and climbed up onto their platforms. They got on their hands and knees with their backs straight and their heads high. Each had some sort of contraption affixed over his groin, and when Sephiroth approached C's spot, he saw that it was a plastic frame, meant to prevent erection. C looked at him and blushed, then returned to looking straight ahead. 

A curator came out and stood in the centre. "Good afternoon, gentlemen, and welcome to the Milk Bar. Our lovely exhibits are full to bursting and ready to serve you, so let's not delay any further. To begin, we need four volunteers."

Sephiroth immediately raised his hand along with about a dozen others. The curator picked two men and assigned them to the exhibits on the opposite side, then pointed to him.

"You, in the silver mask, take Exhibit Number CS-118 on your right. And you, in the red mask, HD-47, please. Excellent. If you've never done this before, the curators will walk you through it, not to worry. I'm sure you'll all be excellent milkers. Now, everyone else, you're free to move between the exhibits as you please. Sample glasses are located on the undersides of the daises, dispose of used glasses in the receptacles around the edges of the room. Remember not to touch, and please allow everyone a chance to get a sample. Milkers, take your places beside the exhibits."

Sephiroth moved to where the curator behind C was beckoning him. As he approached, he saw that there were indeed tiny cups arranged on a shelf built into the dais. He climbed up behind C and looked to the curator.

"Don't worry, he's an easy milk, and I'm told he requested you for it. The process is simple. You're going to lubricate your index and middle fingers, insert them, find his prostate, and massage it. Even if you don't have much experience with the prostate, it'll be easy to find after the stimulation he’s had today. Just feel for a swollen lump. Here." The curator pumped some lubricant onto his fingers, then nudged his hand towards the smooth ass that was waiting for him. "Go ahead."

His puckered hole was already slick and stretched, so Sephiroth’s fingers entered with ease and C moaned in pleasure. "Why does he need to be soft?" he asked as he sought the lump that could bring so much pleasure.

"If he's not, he'll just come. Milking is a slow process, forcing the body to ejaculate without climax."

"Can I touch him with more than just my fingers?"

"You can rub his back and ass if you'd like, but don't get in the way of his cock or block anyone's view."

Masked men were gathered around the platform as C moaned and twitched, clearly aroused, though his body was unable to really do anything about it. Sephiroth rubbed his back gently as he leaned around to see that lovely cock struggling to rise and being thwarted by the cage it was trapped in. 

"Poor boy," he murmured, moving his fingers inside in a gentle circle and matching it with the palm on his back. He kept at it for about ten minutes, then C began to pant, giving small, desperate cries. The men gathered closer and held up their glasses.

"He's about to start," someone said. "Get ready."

"Don't stop once he begins to ejaculate," the curator cautioned him. "You need to maintain a steady massage for the duration."

C gave a loud, drawn out groan as a shudder went through his body, and a hand holding a cup darted beneath him. Sephiroth watched in amazement as semen began to flow steadily out of his penis and into the waiting cup. The man who had been fastest raised it triumphantly once it had been filled.

"First taste!" he cried out, and then poured it into his mouth.

Other men filled their cups from the seemingly nonstop flow of built-up ejaculate after all those hours of stimulation and no release. C kept up his pleasured moans as the swelling under Sephiroth's fingertips slowly went down, though he could tell from the way his body wasn't really reacting otherwise that it wasn't actually doing much for him and the moaning and shuddering was probably just for the show. The other exhibits were ejaculating in a similar manner, and people milled around, helping themselves to the streams. 

Sephiroth gripped C's hip in fury when someone dumped two full cups directly onto C's face, making him flinch and try to squirm away. He was pulling his fingers out and making ready to leap across the platform when Red pulled the culprit back and hustled him out of the room. 

"Keep going. He's fine, these things happen." The curator moved around to the other side and wiped C's face with a cloth. Sephiroth resumed his massage, but gave C what he hoped was a comforting squeeze on the shoulder and rubbed his back again. 

After fifteen minutes or so had passed since it started, the flow of semen finally began to trickle to a halt. C's prostate was barely distinguishable now, and at the curator's cue, he withdrew his fingers from the warm hole. Two of the others had finished slightly earlier, and the last was also just about done. The crowd began to drift away, tossing their empty cups into the various bins.

Sephiroth got down and moved to the front so he could see C and thank him for his performance. He frowned when he saw that there was still quite a bit of dried semen on his face. "Can I wipe him off properly?" he asked.

"Do you mind?" Red approached from behind and looked at C, who shook his head. "Go ahead, then. Here." He handed Sephiroth a warm cloth, and he unfolded it while C sat down on the platform with his legs dangling over the edge. 

Sephiroth cupped the back of his head and gently wiped the mess away, taking his time to make sure he got it all. “Are you okay?”

C nodded and leaned into his touch, giving a small sigh of contentment. 

"There you go," he murmured as he finished up. "That’s better."

C subtly pressed his lips to Sephiroth's palm as he withdrew, making Red chuckle. "You're a regular little lovebird today, aren't you? Something in the water or do you just really like tall guys with green eyes?"

C blushed and looked away, but he had a shy smile again.

"Go on and take your break. You don't get an extension just because you were making googly eyes at clients." Red gave the boy a gentle swat on the ass as he hopped down from the dais. "Sorry for the asshole during it. The Milk Bar tends to get knobs who've had a few too many drinks and think they can get away with breaking the rules."

"Was something done about him?"

"He was kicked out for the rest of the day and a note of it will be made in his account. I'm not sure if there've been problems with him before, but for relatively minor things like that, we've got a three strikes policy."

"I suppose that's better than nothing. I wanted to strangle him."

"Funny as it would have been to see, I'm glad you didn't. I'd hate to have had to kick out Cloud's love interest and ruin his day."

"Cloud?" Sephiroth raised his eyebrows.

"Shit! I did _not_ say that." Red clapped his hands over his mouth and looked around nervously.

"Right. I didn't hear anything," he said quickly. "I'm glad I didn't ruin C's day."

Red excused himself before he let anything else slip, and Sephiroth found a nice bondage exhibition to watch as he pondered his own love interest. Cloud. That was a nice name, and far better than an alphanumeric combination or just an initial. He assumed that the S must be from his surname and wondered what the numbers represented. He assumed there weren’t a hundred and seventeen other exhibits with the initials CS. When Cloud's half hour break was up, he began to stalk through the various rooms, searching for those outrageous spikes of hair. He hoped he wouldn't be serving for an exhibition he had no interest in. 

When he entered a room where two exhibits were impaled on either end of a double-ended dildo, he saw the curator who had been with Cloud for the sounding. The man caught his eye and subtly pointed to a dark spot further back in the room that would be a bit inconvenient for watching the show. As such, no one was currently back there, and Sephiroth approached and smiled when he recognized Cloud. With his senses muted as all the depositories were, he had no way of knowing who was fucking him, but he had a feeling that the watching curator might allow him to bend the rules slightly.

He placed his hand on the boy's smooth back and leaned down to push aside the ear covering and murmur in his ear, "Hello, Cloud. Can I let you feel me?"

Cloud betrayed no reaction aside from opening his hand that had been curled into a fist. When Sephiroth touched his palm, he closed it around his fingers and squeezed. 

"Thank you," He replaced the ear cover the way it had been, then stood and opened his robe, letting Cloud feel the head of his hard cock poised at his entrance. He rubbed the small of his back as he began to ease in, paying no attention to the performance going on in front of him. His world shrank down to him and Cloud and the connection he could finally feel. He wished that Cloud could feel it properly too, but took heart when he realized that Cloud was subtly working his muscles and hips, squeezing and rolling in a way that none of the other depositories had done. Cloud wasn't zoned out and not paying attention. He was actively fucking him and letting him know he wanted it as best he could, given his position.

He was so hot inside. Certainly not tight, but not loose, either. Sephiroth sought out his prostate, but Cloud gave a small whimper and he backed off immediately. He assumed it must be sore from the milking. Communicating the only way he could, he leaned down and gave Cloud's hand a quick squeeze. He felt badly that he couldn't show Cloud how he could make him feel good as well, and he hoped it still felt nice anyway. He fucked Cloud gently, holding out for as long as he could until it grew to be too much and he came with a soft groan. 

He stayed inside as he softened and continued to rub Cloud's back, hoping he understood his appreciation. Unfortunately, it appeared that the other depositories were all in use, and Sephiroth reluctantly pulled out and wiped himself off. Another man immediately approached and pushed into Cloud, fucking him hard and fast, wanting immediate release. When he'd had it, he pulled out and stepped away without a thought for the person who had given it to him. Sephiroth sighed, he supposed he couldn't be upset about it. He had done the same to numerous other depositories throughout the day, not to mention that that was what they were supposed to do. Bothering them while they were trying to rest their minds wouldn't be fair.

He turned his attention to the new trio on the stage, who were riding large dildos that were affixed to the floor. It appeared to be a competition to see who would come first, and they were all going at it hard while the audience placed bets for drinks on the outcome. Shortly before 6:30, Sephiroth was hard again, so he stepped up behind Cloud again and gave his hand another squeeze to let him know it was him. Cloud squeezed back, so he lined himself up with the hole that was now overflowing with come and began to pump his hips. 

He came again just as a winner was declared for the current competition—Sephiroth wasn't even sure what the pair had been doing. Everything was him and Cloud again, and he shot his load deep into his body, then reluctantly pulled away as the curator approached.

"He's going on break now," the curator informed him, and Sephiroth nodded his understanding. 

Without removing any of the gear on his head, the curator eased Cloud up and led him away with semen dribbling down his thighs.

He passed the time until Cloud was due back with a drink and quick bite to eat in the lounge. He thought he would go home after Cloud finished for the day. Even if he hadn't gotten hung up on the little blonde, he doubted he would have had the energy to go much longer. He couldn't actually remember how many times he had come over the course of the day, but knew it was far more than he'd ever managed before, even when he was a teenager at the height of puberty and mako infusions. He rather doubted that he'd be able to get it up for the next week at least.

Sephiroth took one of the tablets and casually browsed through it after double-checking Cloud's schedule, looking at upcoming special exhibitions and reading little blurbs about some of the more unique exhibits. He paused when he saw a link to information about an annual membership. That definitely hadn't been there when he'd looked at the tablets before, and there was nothing on the museum's public website about one either. Curious, he clicked on the link. 

_Dear Valued Patron,_ the blurb at the top read. _Your interest in the Living Museum and its exhibits has been noted. The character you have displayed during your visit today is something that we highly appreciate in our patrons, and as such we would like to offer you the opportunity to purchase an annual membership. The membership gives you unlimited access to the regular features of the museum. In addition, tickets to special exhibitions and events are available at a discounted rate, and you will have the opportunity to reserve them before sales are opened to the public. Interactions, special viewings, or even loans of exhibits can also be arranged upon request._

_If you wish to make the purchase or have any questions, please consult with reception either in person or by telephone. This offer is valid until December 13 of this year._

He scrolled down and blinked at the cost of it. He'd have to visit at least once a month for it to be worthwhile. Although, with the additional benefits, it seemed that he could quite easily argue that they would make up a good portion of the cost. 

"Did you notice it?" Red asked, sitting down across from him.

"I did. Something you arranged?"

"C begged for it, actually. The boss was already considering it, and C asking for it tipped the scales."

“Why was he considering it?” Sephiroth asked, trying and failing to hold back his smile at the knowledge that Cloud wanted to see him again.

“A few reasons, not least of which is who you are. We don't advertise our clients, of course, but considering that you're one of the people who helped make the museum a possibility, the boss man likes to show his appreciation.”

“I did?”

“When Shinra took control of Midgar, they changed a number of the previous laws. In particular, in order to open the Honeybee Inn, which I’m told the president wanted, they legalized prostitution. Without that, we wouldn’t exist.”

“Oh, and I suppose I have a hand in the company maintaining its power.”

Red gave him a knowing nod. “You were also respectful of both the exhibits and the curators, as well as most of the rules, which isn't as common as one might hope. I don't think you noticed much, but incidents like what happened in the Milk Bar are pretty common, and so we appreciate clients who have some manners and try to encourage them to become regulars. Finally, C's a good exhibit, and he really fell hard for you. It's not easy being an exhibit, and we try to keep them as happy as possible. Not being able to see you again would have made him unhappy."

"I see." Sephiroth looked back down at the tablet. "These special viewings or loans … what exactly does that mean?"

"Just what it sounds like. You could have him to yourself. You could have priority for interactions, and the viewings would be just you with his curator to supervise or assist while C puts on his regular performances. Loans … they won't let you do any of the potentially dangerous stuff, but you can borrow him for a few hours or the day on occasion. Properly have your way with him."

"We could actually make love? He'd be allowed to see my face and speak?"

"Make love?” Red snickered. “Yeah, you could do that. And if you wanted him to see your face, yes. He's curious about what you look like under there, and won't stop going on about your beautiful eyes. I'll bet he'll like your real hair too."

“He doesn’t know who I am?”

“Nope, he just likes you.”

Sephiroth smiled again, decision made. He was willing to pay double what they were asking for the opportunity to be with Cloud properly. "Tell him he can find out as soon as it can be arranged."

"Tell him yourself. He'll be in the oral room now. He's just scheduled for a sixty-nine, then he'll go on that come pump dildo you liked so much until his shift is finished."

He hurried over and arrived in time to see his boy finally get to come properly as another exhibit sucked him. The room wasn't very crowded, and so he didn't feel any guilt for immediately going to the low wall and waiting for Cloud to arrive after he finished on the main stage. Cloud gave him a sensual smile as he approached and dropped to his knees in front of him before kissing the tip of the dildo. 

Sephiroth nearly forgot what he had planned to say, he was so distracted by the performance Cloud put on. It was hard not to imagine that it was his own cock the boy wrapped his lips so skillfully around. "I wanted to let you know that I'll be back,” he finally said, “and I'll be accepting that offer you asked them to give me. I'd like you to see my face as well."

Cloud stopped sucking and leaned back, eyes wide with shock. "Really?" he whispered.

"I can't wait to be with you. I want you to feel my mouth on you and taste your release. I want to feel how you can really move while we fuck. I want to kiss those perfect lips and feel them wrapped around my cock."

Cloud stared at him as he fellated the dildo with a lustful hunger. "I want you in my mouth," he hissed.

"Do you want to know what I taste like?" he asked. Cloud nodded enthusiastically. "Do you want me to come in your mouth?" Another nod and Cloud worked the dildo harder. "I'm going to come, Cloud, let me see how much you like it."

Sephiroth pressed the button to make the dildo ejaculate as Cloud took it deep into his throat. When he couldn't swallow anymore, he pulled back and let it splatter over his face, darting out his tongue enthusiastically. He kept it spurting until the dildo had been completely emptied and Cloud was a dripping mess.

"Fuck, I'm gonna … just a sec." Forgetting his dignity entirely, Sephiroth darted for the nearest depository and barely got his cock in before blowing his load. Cloud watched him over the top of the wall with a satisfied smirk as he wiped off his face. Sephiroth smirked in return when he noticed the white splatter on Cloud's side of the wall, in entirely the wrong spot to have been caused by the dildo.

Forget double, they could triple the price of the annual pass and Sephiroth would gladly hand it over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Stay safe out there.


	2. Chapter 2

Cloud fiddled with the tie for his robe as he approached the loan room he was assigned to. What would he be like? He had thought the man must have moved on and forgotten about him. He knew that he had gone ahead with the annual membership, like he had said, but he hadn’t been back since, not for a whole two weeks. It had hurt. He’d never exposed himself like that to a client before, and then to apparently be cast aside and forgotten … it had hurt. 

But then his main curator, Rodger, told him this morning that he was on loan all day today, and that the man had requested him specifically. What did it mean? He took a deep breath and knocked on the third door. It held a card that he knew had his exhibit number and the man's client number on it. 

“Come in.”

His heart skipped a beat or two. That was his voice. The same sultry voice that had thanked him, and told him he was beautiful, and asked if he was okay as he wiped off his face. When he opened the door, however, his heart sank. That was definitely him, and he looked _exactly_ the same as he had the day he first came to the museum. 

“What’s wrong?” the man got up from his chair. “Did you not know it was going to be me? Are you uncomfortable with that?”

Cloud shook his head as he bit his lip. It was fine. He didn’t need to see his face. 

The tall man bent down to look him in the eyes. “Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

“I just—I didn’t think you’d be wearing—it’s okay. Really. I don’t mind.”

“The mask?” He immediately pulled it off. “I’m sorry, I wanted to be sure you recognized me, that’s all.”

Cloud broke into a smile. The man had a gorgeous face, with high cheekbones that matched his strong jawline. “I’d have recognized you.” He reached out to touch the narrow lips that had given him such gentle smiles. 

“Perhaps not without the wig, though.” The man kissed his finger and stood up straight.

“Wig?”

“Wig. Do you mind if I take it off? I’m not bald, I promise. It’s just that people recognize my hair easily.”

“I don’t mind. Are you famous?”

“Did they not give you my name even now?”

Cloud shook his head. “Client privacy is vital. Unless you choose to tell me, you’re just a number.”

“Oh.” The man gripped his hairline and pulled back, letting long silver locks fall free. “My name is Sephiroth.”

Cloud stared at the man before him, completely stunned. He had heard of Sephiroth. Even seen pictures of him in the newspapers that were delivered to the dorm every morning. He was the best SOLDIER in Shinra. He was a god. He was … having trouble getting some of his hair free of the wig. Cloud snickered. “Can I help?”

Sighing, Sephiroth sat down at the small table the room came equipped with and began carefully untangling strands. “Yes, please. I’d normally put it up properly and use a wig cap, but since I wasn’t going to be wearing it for long, I didn’t bother. Clearly a mistake.”

He smiled as he pulled the chair around and began to help, taking care not to pull or break the thin strands.

“You have a beautiful smile, Cloud. I love the way it makes your eyes light up.”

Cloud blushed and focussed on his task. “People don’t normally spend much time looking at my face unless their cock’s in it.”

“Good, or someone else would have fallen for you and then where would I be?”

“You … you really do like me?”

“Well, I’d definitely like to get to know you better while you can actually talk. But so far? Yes, I really like you.” Sephiroth finally pulled the wig free and set it aside. “Will you tell me about yourself?”

Cloud could hardly believe it. He wanted more than just his body? “I don’t … what do you want to know?”

“Absolutely everything. We can skip age, height, and erection size. What’s your favourite food?”

“Roast chicken,” he said without any hesitation. “Can I kiss you?”

Sephiroth held open his arms and embraced him when he went to him. His arms were warm and strong and it made him feel so safe. He tilted his face up and Sephiroth gently pressed their lips together.

He could have just kissed him forever. Despite having been in the sex industry for years now, kissing was something he had very little experience with. People didn’t rent street whores to kiss, and clients weren’t allowed to at the museum. There were a few exhibitions that called for it, but that was just a performance and not even close to how kissing someone for real felt. Kissing Sephiroth, though, it felt so very real and he craved it like a suffocating man craves oxygen.

They ended up on the bed. He naturally rolled onto his back and assumed a more submissive position. He was already prepped for penetration, but Sephiroth didn’t push for more. At least not yet. Instead he just kept kissing him and lightly touching above his robe. It felt so good.

Eventually Sephiroth pulled back, though his fingers continued to stroke his arm. “Favourite colour?”

“But you haven’t told me anything about you!” he protested jokingly. 

“Right, I’m so sorry. You’re so far behind. I’m thirty-one, a hundred and eighty-eight centimetres. I’ve never measured my erection, let alone done the math to calculate the diameter, and my favourite food is burritos because you can put nearly anything in them and hold them in one hand to eat.”

Cloud burst out laughing. “Green. Green is my favourite colour. What’s yours?”

Sephiroth gave him a tender smile. “Blue, like your eyes.”

“Why did you wait so long to come again? I thought you’d forgotten about me.”

The smile slipped from Sephiroth’s face and he shook his head vehemently. “Not in the slightest. This was the soonest they would let me—” He rolled his eyes. “—take out a loan. They had to free up your schedule. I was under the impression that you'd be informed ahead of time, though.”

“But you could’ve just come to the museum, couldn’t you?” He knew it was fully booked fairly often, but they did always fit the annual membership holders in where they could, even for walk-ins unless it was so packed it would be a fire hazard.

Again, Sephiroth shook his head. “I could have, but I didn’t want to see you there again until I’d had the chance to talk with you. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. I’m given to understand that you’re a general exhibit, which means you move around a lot, and so I assume there are probably some exhibitions you don’t like doing. I don’t want to get off on watching you do something you don’t enjoy.”

Cloud was stunned. “You … you really put that much thought into it?”

“Will you tell me your preferences?” Sephiroth’s expression was so serious. 

“I … they arrange our schedules so we don’t normally have to do stuff we don’t like unless there’s a shortage. I never get assigned to scat—I puked too much the one time I tried it, but I got the impression you didn’t like that either.”

Sephiroth’s nose wrinkled up. “No, I really didn’t.”

“There’s not enough exhibits who want to do cock and ball torture right now, so I’m on it once a week, just for a short time slot. I … I do think I’d rather you not get off to that and the other S&M stuff unless it’s really your kink. Same with water sports, which I do once every couple weeks usually.”

“I have no problem with not watching any of those. Though if you’d like me to go for moral support, if having a friendly face would help, I can be there for you.”

Cloud blushed when he felt the pressure behind his eyes that signalled incoming tears. “You—you’d do that for me? Nobody’s ever—” The thought of having someone there he could look to when it hurt or when he felt ashamed. Someone who wasn’t there to get off on his pain and humiliation, but …

“I will. As often as I’m able, I will attend those sessions if you want me there, as support only. However, you mentioned the other S&M stuff. Is it just the sadomasochism? I ask because I do very much enjoy bondage, and so might have to decline to attend any bondage exhibitions you put on if—”

“No, that’s fine. I actually really like the bondage exhibitions. Shibari’s my favourite—Wutaian rope bondage. I do a couple sessions of that on most Tuesdays and Thursdays if you want to come watch. And I’m fine with the spanking they do during some of the bondage sessions, so don’t worry about that.” Cloud stopped his hasty explanation when he saw how Sephiroth was looking at him. 

“You enjoy … shibari?” Sephiroth’s voice was filled with lust. “Please tell me at least one of your sessions is in the evening.”

Cloud grinned slyly. “For the working crowd. Eight until close. Can I expect to see you on Tuesday?”

“You most certainly can.” Sephiroth kissed him again, and Cloud rubbed up against the stiffness that pressed against his thigh. 

“I want you inside me,” he whispered when they broke apart. “It wasn’t enough last time.”

Sephiroth groaned and reached for the tie for Cloud’s robe and pulled it open. He tugged it out from under him and tossed it aside, then removed his own as well. Sephiroth’s body was perfect, and his long cock stood out enticingly. Gaia, he hadn’t wanted someone this badly in ages, if he ever had.

“They said that you’d be stretched and lubricated before you came, but is it still okay? It’s been a while.”

Cloud couldn’t help but smile again at the concern. “Well, you did throw a wrench in the system with all this talking and kissing when you’re supposed to just want to fuck me. But I’m still good, especially if you let me put some lube on you.”

Sephiroth laughed. “You just want to touch me, don’t you?”

“Something wrong with that? Should I just close my eyes and meditate until you’re finished?”

“Don’t you dare.” Sephiroth pumped some lubricant onto both of their palms and then reached for Cloud’s cock. “Speaking of which, can we work out a signal so I can let you know it’s me when you’re on depository duty without breaking the rules? Unless you do meditate—would that disturb you?”

Cloud groaned as Sephiroth stroked him, and he reached up to do the same for him. “I do meditate, actually, but I’d very much appreciate it if you disturb me. I kinda … I kinda don’t want to get fucked by you without knowing it. But I want you to fuck me. Does that make sense?”

“It does.” Sephiroth groaned as well. “Gaia, Cloud, you’re so—can I?”

Cloud spread open his legs and wrapped his arms around those broad shoulders as he felt the hardness nudging at his entrance. “Yes … please. I want it.”

Cloud lost himself in the joy he was feeling. He’d never felt such physical pleasure accompanied with such emotion. He’d been fucked countless times by countless people. From his uncle, to nameless Johns, to the hookups who lasted a bit longer, to his fellow exhibits and the masked clients at the museum. When Reno had told him, laughing, that the man had said he wanted to ‘make love’ to him, Cloud had laughed as well. Fucking was fucking. He could be more or less into it depending on who he was with, but it was still just a physical act meant to achieve physical pleasure.

He had been wrong, apparently. The way Sephiroth held him and moved with him, asked if it felt good and told him he was beautiful. The way he looked at him when he pulled away after kissing him and moaned his name as he came. It made him feel something far more than the physical aspect. Was it possible to fall in love with someone you just met?

When Sephiroth finally parted from him, Cloud nearly cried at the loss. He was still right there, but it felt so far after they had been joined in such a way. “I …”

“Are you okay?” Sephiroth asked gently, stroking his cheek. “Did I hurt you?”

Cloud shook his head, blinking back tears. “I’m just so happy.”

Sephiroth smiled and kissed his forehead. “Me too.”

“Squeeze my hand and draw an S on the back of it.”

“What?”

“So I know it’s you. I always want to know when it’s you.”

Sephiroth rolled over and cradled him against his chest. “Like this?” he asked, and gave his hand a firm squeeze before tracing his finger in an S shape on the back of it.

“Like that.”

“Every time. Can you squeeze my fingers like you did last time so I know you’ve recognized me?”

“Yeah.” Cloud closed his eyes and opened his hand, then squeezed tightly when Sephiroth placed two fingers on his palm.

“Okay. If you don’t want it for whatever reason, just push my hand away. I won’t ever touch you if you don’t want it.”

They lay quietly for a while, wrapped in each other’s embrace. He even dozed a little bit as Sephiroth scratched his scalp and gave him tiny kisses. Eventually, Sephiroth broke the silence.

“It’s after noon. Are you hungry?”

As if on cue, Cloud’s stomach rumbled. “I think that’s a yes.”

Sephiroth laughed and gave him another squeeze before sliding around behind him so he was looking over his shoulder. “Okay, what would you like?” He handed him the room service menu.

“Oh, they’ll send up my meal with whatever you order.”

“Are you on a special diet?”

“No, but you get charged for what you order. Stuff for clients is all fancy and expensive. Mine’s just my regular meal, so it doesn’t cost you anything.”

Sephiroth frowned. “Cloud, I don’t care if they charge me for your lunch. What would you like?”

“But …”

“Please let me treat you. I know this isn’t exactly a date, but I would love to buy you lunch.”

That made him smile. “Then, whatever you’re having.”

“Are you sure?” Sephiroth flipped open the menu and held it in front of both of them. “Let’s get two different things and share. We can each pick one and get an idea of each other’s tastes.”

“I’ve never had food like this before though. I don’t know what’s good. You should just pick.”

“It’ll be an adventure. C’mon, don’t be shy.” Sephiroth kissed his cheek and gave him a squeeze.

Foiled once again, Cloud could only sigh. He stared at the long list that didn’t have any pictures and concentrated on the first line. It was impossible. They’d starve to death before he figured it out. 

“Anything look good?” Sephiroth asked after a while. “I’m thinking something a bit lighter for lunch, then we can stuff ourselves at dinner.”

Shit. That meant he couldn’t just point to something at random. “Um, maybe salad then?”

“Sure, that would be good. What kind?”

Of course, there just had to be kinds. Sephiroth didn’t even do him the kindness of waving his hand towards the salad section of the menu. Well, it was probably near the beginning. That’s where the menus with pictures usually had them. He searched the bolded lines for an S shape, attempting to get the letters to stay still.

“Cloud? Are you okay?” Sephiroth was leaning around and looking at him with a concerned frown.

His face heated up and he shook his head. “I … I’m just—ah, fuck—sorry, but I can’t really read. It’s going to be a while if you want me to pick something.”

The frown deepened. “You can’t—?” he started to ask, then shook his head and gave him another tight squeeze. “Never mind, that can wait. Would you like me to read it to you, or would you prefer I just pick something?”

Cloud swallowed thickly and blinked a few times in disbelief. He was quite certain that this was where the laughter was supposed to come in. “Can … can you tell me what the salads are?”

“Sure.” Sephiroth pointed to the section below the one he had been looking at. “They’ve got a tossed garden salad with a variety of dressings, cob, Caesar, which can have grilled chicken or shrimp added to it, and the chef’s special, which has mixed greens, cucumber, cranberry, avocado, glazed walnuts, and blue cheese with a cranberry vinaigrette dressing. Do any of those sound good?”

He didn’t know what a cob salad was, but they often had tossed and Caesar salads with their meals and he liked them. But maybe … “Do you think the chef’s special would be good? Is avocado a type of meat?”

“No, it’s a fruit, but it has quite a different texture and taste than the fruits you’re probably more used to. I like it, and the salad sounds nice. Why don’t we give it a try? If you don’t like it, we can get something else.”

Cloud allowed himself a small smile. Sephiroth had answered so normally, like he didn’t think he was stupid for not knowing. “Okay.”

“And I was thinking of this Gongagan chicken sandwich.” He pointed to another spot on the menu. “It’s got grilled Gongaga-style chicken, which is spicy, Kalm cheese, spinach, tomato, and spicy mayonnaise. We can cut it in half.”

“That sounds great! I like spicy food.”

“Okay, anything to drink? There’s juice, pop, beer, wine, cocktails. Anything you’d like.”

“Is there ginger ale? I really like that.”

Sephiroth glanced at the menu with the sort of ease that always made Cloud jealous. “There is. All right, let me up and I’ll order.”

Cloud cleaned himself up a bit while Sephiroth was on the phone. He overheard him assure them that Cloud had informed him that he had a provided meal, but that he wanted to get him something different and would pay for it. When he left the washroom, Sephiroth was sitting up on the bed and held out his arms for him.

“So,” he said once Cloud had snuggled into his embrace again, “what’s the issue with reading? Is it a reading disorder or were you not taught? I’m not trying to judge or embarrass you, I’m just wondering if there’s anything I could do to help.”

Cloud shook his head. “There isn’t. They tried to teach me in school, but I was too stupid.”

“You’re not stupid, Cloud," he stated firmly. "I’ve met a lot of stupid people in the military, and I can safely say that you share none of the characteristics of a stupid person. You’re well-spoken, quick-witted, and funny. Was it your teacher? Did the other children also struggle?”

“No, just me.”

“Then it’s probably an undiagnosed reading disorder. What happens when you try?”

“The … the letters, they move around and I get all mixed up. I know the alphabet and the sounds, and I can figure out words eventually if I block them off one by one, but it takes a long time.”

Sephiroth scoffed. “ _You’re_ not stupid, but your teacher was an incompetent numbskull. Any half-decent early development professional should be able to recognize dyslexia, especially a case so severe that it prevented you from reading at all.”

“I … What?”

“Dyslexia. It’s a very common learning disability and has nothing to do with intelligence. I have it. It can’t be cured, but there are a number of different methods to work around it depending on the type of dyslexia you have. It will be hard as an adult, but do you want to learn to read, Cloud?”

Cloud could only stare in disbelief as Sephiroth so casually diagnosed him and declared that he could learn, in addition to saying he had the same problem. “I … how would I even go about it?”

“Does anyone here know about it?”

He shook his head. “No. They typed up all my information for me when I got the job, and there’s nothing I need to be able to read.”

“Not even your schedule?”

“I’ve learned to recognize some of the words by length or some repeating letters, and know approximately the time and length based on the schedule layout. And Rod, my primary curator, tells me what I'm doing in the morning when I’m getting ready. He thinks he’s just reminding me, but …”

“Well, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to speak with your boss about arranging for a tutor. I’ll pay for it.”

“You don’t—”

“Nonsense. You deserve to be able to read, Cloud. If I can afford to blow thousands of gil on a membership here, I can afford a tutor for you. And I’ll give up the membership first if I can’t afford both.”

Once again, Cloud found himself staring in disbelief. Before he could think of anything appropriate to say, there was a knock on the door.

“That’ll be lunch. Here’s your robe.”

Cloud grinned and wrapped it around himself. “Like everyone who works here hasn’t already seen me naked.”

Sephiroth smiled as he tied his own robe. “That may be true, but for today you’re for my eyes only.”

The afternoon passed in a haze of happiness. They made love again and again, and Sephiroth was just as caring and respectful each time, no matter if Cloud was on his knees in front of him or bent over the side of the couch. It never felt like he was just using him. True to what he had said the previous time, Sephiroth sucked him as well, and swallowed him down with apparent pleasure. 

In the evening, Sephiroth ordered a massive roast chicken dinner—that wasn’t even on the menu—with so many sides that it didn’t all fit on the table. It was the likes of which Cloud had only the vaguest recollection of his mother making when he was young for special occasions. They shared a bottle of wine and talked about all sorts of things, from stories about SOLDIER to the latest shows on TV. It made him laugh to think that the legendary SOLDIER watched many of the same stupid dramas as a bunch of whores.

They curled up together on the couch after dinner and sipped at their wine. 

“Do you mind if I ask you something?” Sephiroth asked. He brushed his fingers up and down Cloud’s side as he spoke.

“You just did, but I guess you could ask something else.”

“I see you’re a smartass. Can you tell me how you ended up here?”

Cloud sucked in a deep breath. “It's not exactly a pretty story.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I’m interested to know so I can understand you better, but I don’t want to upset you or make you think about unpleasant things.”

“I don’t mind. It’s in the past and I’m in a good situation now, so if you want to hear … I’m from a little town called Nibelheim," he began. "It’s not very exciting, but not terrible. My mom was a single mom. She was great, even though I struggled so much in school, she was always so patient with me. She died when I was eight.”

“Illness or … ?”

“Car accident. Nibelheim’s roads are nasty in winter, and a truck plowed right into the side of her car. She died instantly.”

“I’m so sorry.” Sephiroth gently hugged him and stroked his hair.

“Thanks. I got sent to live with my uncle. He …” Cloud shuffled around so he could hold Sephiroth as well. Being able to hug him was comforting. “He said it was payment for taking care of me, punishment for doing bad in school, all sorts of excuses. But he … he liked to touch little boys. He made me feel so ashamed. He said it was my fault for making him that way. For tempting him. I couldn’t tell anyone. I didn’t think anyone would believe me if I did. I was just the stupid little orphan kid.”

A strong hand rubbed his back soothingly. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“No. He was a sick fucking monster, and I didn’t deserve a single thing he did to me. When I hit puberty, he didn’t like me as much. He still raped me, but he didn’t like that my body was changing, and he’d beat me for it. One day … I was on my way home from school. I’d done miserably on a test and was dreading what he’d do to me as punishment. I got to the end of the block and I just froze. I couldn’t go any further. I turned around and walked down the mountain to the highway where I hitched a ride going south.”

“You didn’t bring anything?”

“Nope. Just the leftovers from my lunch and a couple of gil. Oh, and my dirty gym clothes. I ditched my books right away.”

“Gaia.” Sephiroth continued to rub his back. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Too much info?”

“No. I told you I wanted to know everything about you. I didn’t mean just the pleasant stuff.”

That was comforting to hear. He’d only ever really spoken about his past with some of the other people at the museum, many of whom had similar stories. “I didn’t have a plan for where to go, so I just kept going wherever someone would take me as long as it was away. I couldn’t get a real job at my age, but sometimes people would give me some gil or a meal and a place to stay in exchange for helping out with odd jobs. Then one day a trucker offered me fifty gil if I’d give him a blowjob. It’d been a bad couple weeks, and I was flat broke with no idea when I’d eat next, so I thought why not? It wasn’t like I didn’t know how.

“I still did odd jobs and manual labour when I could find it, but honestly, work’s a lot easier to find and better paying if you’re willing to sell your body. When I wound up in Midgar, proper work was next to impossible to find what with being an illiterate runaway, but there was no shortage of people wanting a body to fuck.

“It was … maybe three, no, four years ago now, I was working a corner down near the Honeybee Inn. It was winter and I was freezing my ass off, wishing I was a girl so I could be a Honeybee and not have to hope a John would spring for a motel room. Nobody was out buying that night, and I was counting my gil to see if I had enough to get a room for a couple hours when this guy came up and asked if he could buy me a cup of coffee.”

“Coffee?”

“I know, that’s what I thought. How many strings would be attached? But I sure as hell wasn’t in a position to turn down the offer of something warm. If he wanted my ass in exchange, he was welcome to it. But he didn’t just buy a cup from the corner store. He took me to a real coffee shop and got me a hot sandwich and soup as well, and we sat down inside. It took _ages_ for my fingers to defrost.”

Sephiroth chuckled softly. “Please tell me this turns out well.”

“It does, not to worry. The guy introduced himself as Valentine and said he ran a brothel of sorts for gay men and was looking for workers. I nearly choked to death on my coffee. ‘Like the motherfucking Honeybee!?’ I said it so loud that everyone in the shop heard.”

Sephiroth laughed out loud at that. “Your wish come true? I assume that he was talking about the museum?”

“Yep. Thought he was a complete lunatic. Who the hell would pay to just watch and not really participate? But it was a tempting offer compared to the streets. He told me to think it over and gave me enough money for a room for the night, his card, and even change for a payphone. Fortunately I can figure out phone numbers without too much difficulty. I called the next day, and he drove down to pick me up and bring me here.”

“And you’ve been here ever since? They treat you well?”

“They do. It’s been so good. I get a regular salary, good food, a bed to sleep in, and a roof over my head. Hell, I even get overtime pay for today because I don’t get breaks. Don’t tell them I took a nap.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“They’ve got a doctor who comes in regularly, and we can take time off and get treatment if we’re sick. They say they cater to all kinks, but that’s not true, actually. No kids. Not even anyone acting like they’re younger. There’s nothing else illegal either, but yeah … no kids. No one under eighteen.”

“Wow, that’s good to know. When I first heard about the museum, I wondered if they were just saying that to cover their asses, but there really isn’t any of that?”

“Nope. They make sure. And anyone who complains about it gets put on a list that gets passed to a contact of Valentine’s in the MPs. Client confidentiality can go fuck itself when it comes to that.”

“Well, I feel a lot better about the morality of my patronage. And everyone’s here voluntarily, like you?”

“Yeah.”

“I have to admit, I had assumed some of the more hardcore exhibits couldn’t possibly be willing. That scat exhibition … how could someone want to train their body like that?”

Cloud frowned and sat up a little to look at Sephiroth. “He’s a really sad story, actually.”

“Oh?” Sephiroth tilted his head. “Can you tell me?”

“Don’t … don’t tell anyone else, but yeah, since I’m guessing you won’t want to see him again, he wouldn’t mind you knowing. Though nothing much ever really bothers him. Not on the outside, at least.”

Cloud took a deep breath and continued, "P came here trained. He had been kidnapped and used as a sex slave for years. The people who took him … they were the ones who trained him like that. I don’t know where or how Valentine got a hold of him, but he wasn’t actually supposed to be an exhibit. There’s a rumour that he’s an old friend or lover of Valentine’s. He wanted P rehabilitated and to get his life back, but … it just didn’t work out. He was too broken. He gets so upset if he doesn’t get to perform and hurts himself. So Valentine lets him. Once a day only, and that’s all he does. Valentine’s always there before and after, telling him that he doesn’t have to, that no one will hurt him, and he can do it in private, but it just doesn’t sink in. I think some of the senior staff have to watch him do it on Mondays when we're closed, just so he doesn't get upset.”

Sephiroth was silent for a long time. “That poor man. I’m definitely going to speak to your boss after this. That is Valentine, right? You don’t have a manager I’d have to go through about the tutor?”

“No, just Valentine.”

“I have a suspicion that he won’t mind if you sort out your reading issues.”

Cloud smiled. “He’s a good person. I probably should have told him about it, but I guess I’m just so used to feeling ashamed. You really have it too? What's it called? Dis …"

"Dyslexia. Yes, I do, though I think nowhere near as severe as your case. I was also diagnosed at a very young age, and was simply taught a method of reading that works for me right from the get go. But don't worry, as long as you're willing to try, I'm absolutely certain you can learn."

He beamed at the man who held him so lovingly. What sort of possibilities might open to him if he could read? Maybe he could go back to school or learn a trade. He knew that realistically, as much as he liked his work, he couldn’t be an exhibit forever.

"I hope those are happy tears." Sephiroth gently wiped beneath his eye with his thumb.

"Yes," Cloud whispered. "I'm really, really happy. I keep thinking … it's dumb, but I keep thinking back to this story my mom used to tell me when I was little. About how everyone has a soulmate and the people lucky enough to find theirs fall in love straight away and—" He cut himself off, realizing exactly how stupid he sounded. "Sorry, I—"

"I've been thinking all day that there's absolutely no way I believe in love at first sight and how ridiculous a concept that is. I think I like the idea that you're my soulmate much better."

Cloud blushed. "You do?"

"Well, I can think of very little else that explains how I've somehow fallen head-over-heels in love with you. If it's fate, I can keep my reputation as a hard-hearted SOLDIER intact."

He grinned and shook his head. "Nope. I don't believe it for a second. Your heart's all mushy or I'm just a battle-scarred whore."

"Well, you're definitely not that, so fine. Reputation ruined. Now kiss me."

Cloud did so gladly.

He was physically and emotionally exhausted by the time the phone in the room rang to tell Sephiroth that his time was up, but he didn't want to go. He also didn't want to get Sephiroth in trouble, however, so he kissed him goodbye and got a long hug in return.

"I'll come see you on Tuesday, I promise. Are you allowed to meet with people on your days off?”

“Yeah, of course.” Cloud could hardly believe it. He really did want to see him outside the museum?

“Then let’s go on a proper date sometime. With clothes.”

“With clothes? How fancy!”

Sephiroth gave him a big smile. “See you soon. I love you, Cloud."

He was blinking back tears again. Since when had he become such a crybaby? "I love you too."

"Go on, now. Sleep well tonight."

He staggered out the door and to back to the dormitories located just behind the museum. Come dribbled down his thighs as he walked; a reminder of the last time they had made love. Sephiroth had wanted him to clean up properly, but Cloud hadn't wanted to waste a minute of their time together and had just given himself a quick wipe before putting his robe back on. His mind was a whirlwind of overwhelming emotions, and for whatever reason, the tears just kept falling.

"Hey, Cloud, you have fun today? Shit! Did something go wrong?" Reno and Rodger were hanging out in the entryway, and they both ran over to him.

"I—I—" he tried to explain, but couldn't come up with the words and just sobbed instead. Sephiroth loved him. He was going to learn to read. Tuesday was a million years away. He was so in love it was painful. Somebody loved _him_. Cloud. The stupid little boy who was only good for spreading his legs was loved by someone. His tired legs gave out from under him and he collapsed, sobbing helplessly. 

He was vaguely aware that people were hovering all around him, murmuring and wondering what was wrong. Reno and Rodger kept asking him what had happened, or if he had been hurt. He shook his head violently at that. It was the only response he could give. 

"What's going on?" The door slammed shut and Cloud heard the familiar click of Valentine's boots. It was a sort of calming noise. "Is that Cloud?"

"He just started crying, boss. It doesn't seem like he’s hurt, at least not that we can see, but something's got him hella upset. Should I go after the client?"

"No." Valentine's voice was gentle. "Come now, Cloud, let's not make a scene." Valentine scooped him up easily and cradled him against his chest.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me he had booked me?" Cloud finally found his voice and shouted at Rodger. "I was so worried he didn't want to see me again!"

"What? But it was on your schedule all week! I even put it in as your crush so you'd know who it was since his client ID tells you nothing."

Valentine shook his head. "Never mind that now. Everyone settle down and go back to what you were doing. Cloud is fine. I just need to talk to him privately."

Valentine carried him up to the TV room on the second floor and kicked everyone out before setting him down on one of the couches and wrapping a blanket around his shoulders. "Now, take some deep breaths and calm down. Do you want some hot chocolate?"

Cloud shook his head, but took the offered box of tissues and blew his nose. "It was on the fucking schedule …" he moaned.

"I wish you had told me," Valentine said softly. "I would have helped."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"And I understand why you didn't. I'm not angry. Sephiroth said that he'll look for a tutor for you on Monday; he apparently has some connections. You'll have an assessment session, and then we'll go from there. We can rearrange your schedule to suit what you need."

"Thank you," he whispered quietly. His throat was sore.

"There's no need to thank me. Now, what had you in such a state?"

"I just …" Tears were forming again. "My chest hurts, Valentine. It hurts so much. He didn't just want my body. He told me he loves me. _Nobody_ loves me. He was so kind and thoughtful. He didn't laugh at me for not being able to read. I told him about my past and he didn't judge me for it. It upset him, but he wasn't disgusted with me. He made me feel so safe."

Valentine gave him a small smile and patted his knee. "I understand. That's a lot of emotion to deal with, isn't it?"

Cloud nodded, unable to speak again.

"Then go ahead and cry as much as you need to. Would you like a hug?"

He nodded again and leaned into Valentine's embrace, sobbing his heart out. 

When his tears finally slowed, Valentine was still rubbing his back gently. "Feeling a bit more under control?"

"Yeah, I'm still so happy I don't know what to do though."

"That's just fine. You’ll sort it out, and I expect that Sephiroth will help you. He seemed very sincere about his feelings for you when we spoke. Cloud, I certainly don't want you to rush into anything, but if you get to the point where you think you can have a safe and happy life away from here, then I don't want you to hesitate to take that chance."

"Leave the museum?" He hadn’t actually considered that that would be what going to school or getting a different job would mean.

"We'd miss you terribly, and you'll always have a place to come back to if you need it, but yes. If this works out with Sephiroth, you won't want to remain an exhibit."

"But …" The museum was the only place he'd ever felt safe in the past fifteen years. He hardly ever left it on his days off unless there was something he absolutely needed to do. It was his home.

"At least consider other positions. You'd make a good curator or tour guide."

"I … I'll keep it in mind."

"Good boy. Now, do you want to go back to your room tonight or would you like to use one of the sick rooms and have some time alone?"

Cloud sat up and considered it. "I think I'd like to have a bit of time to think alone. But will you tell the guys not to worry about me? And say I'm sorry for scaring them."

"Of course. Come now, I'll walk you there. Anything you need from your room?"

Cloud shook his head. There were spare pyjamas and toothbrushes in the sick rooms. He didn't need his own. Valentine led him to one of the tiny rooms that were little more than a bed and a nightstand and flicked the light on. 

"Get some rest then, Cloud. I'm very happy that you seem to have finally found someone who deserves you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only know Pretty Woman through cultural osmosis, but I feel like it's relevant.
> 
> Thanks for the wonderful feedback on the first chapter. I appreciate it so much!


	3. Chapter 3

Cloud rinsed the soap from his lunch dishes and shut off the water, grabbing a tea towel to dry them. He wondered what he should do for the afternoon. The morning had been spent staring at a newspaper, trying to somehow figure out the magic way he was supposed to be able to read, but all he had succeeded at was giving himself a headache. Maybe he could watch a movie instead.

“Cloud, phone call for you!” Reno burst into the dining room with a bang, surprising him and making the wet plate fall from his hands. It shattered on the tile floor, and he groaned at his own stupidity.

“Shit!”

Reno laughed. “Go. The meeting room in front is free. Line three. I’ll clean this up, but you owe me gossip in exchange.”

“Thanks, Reno.”

He ran to the front of the dorm and let himself into the little room where people could have private talks or make phone calls. He lifted the receiver and pressed the blinking button. 

“Hello?”

“Cloud.” His heart skipped a few beats upon hearing Sephiroth’s voice. “How are you?”

“I—I’m good. How are you?”

“Very good. I wanted to let you know that I got in touch with my old teacher, who put me in contact with a private company that works with adults with learning disabilities. You have an appointment for an assessment next Monday at 9:00, which I’ll take you to, and they’ll work out a learning plan for you and assign a tutor. Does that sound okay?”

Cloud missed the chair entirely and sank to the floor. “This is really happening?”

“It is. Valentine said he’ll adjust your schedule if you need to meet with your tutor more often than it currently allows, which is likely when you’re first starting out. Practice will be the most important thing, though, so I want you to promise me that you’ll tell him if you don’t have enough time.”

“I promise.” Changing his schedule would probably mean cutting back on his hours, which would be a hit to his salary, but if he could learn, it would be worth it.

“Good. I’m so proud of you for being willing to try. It’s going to be hard, but the person I spoke with sounded very confident that you’d be able to learn.”

He felt tears pricking at his eyes again. “Thank you so much for this. I can’t even begin to say how grateful I am. I always … we get newspapers delivered here every morning. People talk about the articles, and I wish so much I could join in. I listen to the radio and watch the news on TV, but it’s not the same. And books … there’s a book club some of the guys hold. It always sounds so interesting. I want to read, Sephiroth.”

“You’ll be able to, Cloud. I know it. With motivation like that, you’ll definitely be able to. Next Monday. I’m going to pick you up at 8:15 in case traffic’s bad, so be ready.”

“Okay, I will.”

“And my other reason for calling is about that date you promised me. What are you doing Friday evening?”

“Nothing.” Cloud literally trembled in excitement. An actual date?

“Then, may I take you out for dinner?”

“Yes.” He could hardly breathe. An actual date. With clothes.

“Wonderful. There’s a special illumination display going on in Fountain Plaza that I thought might be nice to see afterwards. What do you think?”

“I’d love to.” 

“Good. I’ll pick you up at 18:00. Anything you dislike, food-wise? Or any allergies?”

“No allergies. And I’ll eat just about anything, I think. I’ll at least try anything.”

“Okay. I’m going to try to get to the museum before your show tomorrow, but I might be a bit late. I’ll be there, though, don’t worry.”

Cloud had a sudden thought. “Would you mind—after the more hardcore bondage sessions, I need someone to hold me while I recover. Can I ask Rod to let you come in back after to do that? I can’t have sex with you or anything but—”

“You absolutely may, Cloud. I’d be honoured to have that privilege, and I certainly wouldn’t expect sex for it.”

Cloud smiled at the sincerity in Sephiroth’s voice. “Thank you.”

“All right, I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you.”

He trembled at the simple words. Who the hell ever knew he was such a hopeless romantic? “I love you too. Goodbye.”

Cloud hugged the phone to his chest for several minutes, going over the conversation again and again. He had a date. He suddenly froze. He had no idea what to do on a date. He set down the phone and ran out of the meeting room.

The dining hall was mostly empty, so he ran upstairs to the main common room and threw the door open. “Guys!”

“Well, he’s not crying this time,” Reno commented. 

“Must not’ve been the stalker,” said Nikki.

“Shut up! You wanted gossip; I’ve got gossip! And so much of it. He went through with what he said. I have an appointment next Monday to get my brain assessed or something so they can teach me to read.”

“Really? That’s awesome, Cloud.” Rodger grinned. “I still can’t believe you faked it all these years. Want me to put it in your schedule?”

“Yes, please. Monday, 9:00. Sephiroth is picking me up at 8:15. And tomorrow he’s going to come to my shibari exhibition. Can you let him in back to be the one holding me after?”

“What? You mean I have to give up cuddling with my bro?”

“He said he’d be fucking honoured, Rodger. _Honoured_.”

“All right, all right. Damn. I’ll put that in your schedule too. Aftercare from the stalker, 10:00 pm.”

“And one more thing for the schedule, please. Can you put in my _date_ at 18:00 on Friday? What time is that in real time?”

“A date? Like an actual _date_ with dinner and flowers and not getting your cock out until like halfway through?” Reno asked while the others who had been listening burst into discussion. 

“I don’t know!” Cloud wailed. “I’ve never been on one! What do I do?”

“Well, since it’s your first date, you can’t have sex,” Matt said decisively. “That’s like the number one rule. No sex on the first date.”

“Even if they spent a solid twelve hours humping like bunnies already?”

“Even then. You’re not a slut.”

“You should give him flowers.”

“This is Midgar! Who the fuck can afford flowers?”

“I looked it up, 18:00 is 6:00 pm. You’d better learn military time or you’ll miss drill or something.”

“Drill’s in the morning, dumbass.”

“Drilling asses isn’t just a morning activity.”

“What are you going to do for it? Do you know?” Rodger asked calmly.

“Dinner, then go see a special illumination in Fountain Plaza,” Cloud replied. 

“Gaia, it’s like he wants to talk to you or something,” Nikki said.

“Isn’t that good?”

“Not if you don’t want him to realize how boring you are without sex to distract him.”

Cloud froze, suddenly worried. He _was_ boring, wasn’t he? How could he compare to someone who was the head of the most powerful army in the world and travelled all over. He was just a whore who had barely graduated elementary school.

“Oh fuck _off_ , Nikki!” Reno shouted and threw a pillow. “Don’t listen to him, sweetie. You’re interesting as fuck, and Sephiroth knows that. Nikki’s right in saying that that plan sounds like he wants to talk to you, but that’s because he knows you’re interesting. Nobody wants an awkwardly silent date, so if he was worried about it, he’d have suggested a movie instead. That’s the go-to ‘oh fuck, what if this guy is boring’ first date.”

“Reno’s right,” Rodger said. “He wants to talk to you because he’s interested in you. You’ve got all sorts of interesting things you can talk about.”

“Like what?” Cloud asked helplessly.

“Tell him about the time you caused that bar fight in Corel by being too fucking sexy,” Matt suggested. “Or about the crazy old grandma you rode with for five days before she got picked up by the cops for escaping her old age home and stealing a bunch of cars. Dude, you’ve got amazing stories.”

Rodger nodded. “You can ask him questions and listen to his stories, too. He’s not just some John who doesn’t want you to know who he is, and you’re not there to entertain him. And you know sometimes it’s nice to just be with the person you like, enjoying the quiet. People don’t have to talk all the time.”

“Is he going to pay?” someone else asked.

“Well, he _should_. He’s the one who did the inviting.”

“I think Cloud should at least offer to split the bill. That way it doesn’t come off like he’s using him for his money.”

“You mean he’s not?”

“If the expectation is that the person who invites, pays, Cloud’s going to be in a tough spot if he wants to ask him out but needs to split the bill in order to be able to afford it.”

“That’s a good point … but Sephiroth’s rich. What if they go to someplace super expensive? Cloud can’t read the menu, so how’s he gonna know if he can afford it or not?”

“I can … numbers …” Cloud tried to say, but it seemed like no one was listening to him anymore. Everyone in the dorm had embraced his illiteracy since word got out, which was nice in a way, since they helped him with the things he wanted to read. At the same time, however, they were acting like he hadn’t somehow managed the past twenty-three years of his life and couldn’t handle so much as a stray letter coming his way without panicking. 

“I’ve got your back, Cloud.” Reno clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll grill him tomorrow and figure out where he’s planning to take you. Then we’ll know what you should wear, and if you should offer to pay once and then let it go or insist that you want to split or treat him. Okay?”

Cloud gave his friend a smile. “Okay.”

“He should get a haircut.”

“When’s the last time you waxed your ass?”

“No sex! He doesn’t need to wax his ass!”

“I still think flowers would be nice.”

Cloud groaned and flopped back onto the couch. He hoped he at least got _some_ good advice out of this.

***

Cloud sighed and attempted to smooth out the paper he was practicing with for the millionth time. A tear appeared in one of the old creases, and he rolled his eyes in annoyance before tossing it aside and grabbing a fresh sheet. He stared at it for several minutes, plotting out the way he wanted to shape it in his head before beginning to fold with practiced ease.

He noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye and looked up as Valentine entered the quiet dining hall. He came over and held out a small package.

“Sephiroth sent this for you.”

Curious, Cloud unwrapped the package and took out an MP3 player and set of earbuds. “What?” He looked up at Valentine, hoping for an explanation. 

“It’s got an audio version of The Red Oak on it.”

“Hey, we just started reading that in the book club,” Matt said, looking up from what he was working on.

Valentine nodded. “If you’d like to participate. It’s the same exact story, just read out loud so you can listen instead.”

Cloud stared at the small machine, dumbfounded. The whole book was on it? And he could listen to it?

“That’s awesome! We’re talking about chapters 3 and 4 on Sunday,” Matt said. “If you just read, or I guess listen up to there, you’ll be able to get into the swing of it no problem.”

“He got this for me?” 

“And that’s one more thing you can talk about on your date!” Matt added excitedly. “Betcha he’s reading it too. It seems like the sort of thing he’d do.”

Cloud turned it over in his hands. On the back, something was engraved. “What’s this?”

Valentine leaned down. “For Cloud. To start you off on a reading adventure. Love Sephiroth.”

He ran his fingers over the words and blocked them off so he could try to figure them out one at a time. The writing wasn’t weird and flowing like most engraved things he had seen, but rather simple block letters that he had a relatively easy time with. They stayed mostly still, and he could easily see where the words began and ended. Was that on purpose?

“What are you making?” Valentine asked.

Cloud blushed and looked back to the papers in front of him. “A bunch of recycling so far. I … he’s done so much for me, so I wanted to do something too. Show that I really do love him and I’m not just using him for his money. So I thought … I thought maybe he’d like a flower. I can’t afford real ones, but …”

Valentine carefully picked up the piece he had just started and looked at it critically. “I think he’ll like a flower you made him far better than real ones.”

“You think so? I mean, I know it’s not much, but I was going to go to the art store up on the plate on Wednesday and get some nice paper for it instead of this junk.”

“Sephiroth can afford the things he wants, Cloud. A gift that you put the time and effort into making will be far more valuable to him than anything you could buy.”

Matt nodded in agreement. “You make such cool stuff. He’ll like it.”

“I have some errands to run up top Wednesday morning if you’d like a ride to the art store.” Vincent set the paper back down and clapped Cloud on the shoulder. “Leaving at 9:30.”

***

Sephiroth had the cab pull to a stop in front of the museum and asked it to wait while he picked up his date. He regretted so much the mission that went late into the night yesterday. He had been unable to go to Cloud’s Thursday show, and was therefore unable to hold him again afterwards. The memory of him falling asleep in his arms on Tuesday was still fresh. Rod told him that he’d never done that before, and Sephiroth chose to take it as a sign that Cloud truly was comfortable with him. He had carried him to the room he shared with Rod and two others and tucked him into bed. Cloud had woken up enough to kiss him goodnight before snuggling back into his blankets.

The receptionist smiled as he came in. “Good evening, sir. Do you have a reservation?”

“No, I’m just here to pick Cloud up, though I’m a few minutes early.” At the receptionist’s confused and rather wary look, he tried again. “CS-118. I’m Sephiroth. We have a date scheduled.”

“CS-118? On the other shift?”

“Yes.”

He shrugged and typed a few things into his computer. “Huh. Um, any other name you might be in here under?”

“Is it the stalker?”

The receptionist laughed and picked up the phone. “Hey, can you tell CS-118 that Sephiroth is at the reception desk and waiting for him? Also who the hell called him the stalker on the schedule? That’s totally unprofessional.” After a few more moments, he hung up. “He’ll be right out, sir. I hope you didn’t take offence.”

“Not at all. I think it’s become a bit of a running joke in the other shift.”

After a short wait, there was a thudding of feet and the door behind the reception desk was flung open. “I’m so sorry!” Cloud gasped. “I’ll show you where the back entrance is for next time.”

"Oh, yes, that would be nice. I didn't even consider a back entrance, but I suppose there would have to be one. You look lovely." He was in slim-fit black trousers with a black and white striped shirt and a red tie. It was a youthful, but still classy look, and it looked good on him.

Cloud blushed and smiled shyly as he pulled on a warm coat. "My wardrobe just keeps increasing each time we meet."

He led Cloud out to the cab as they spoke. "Do ropes count as more clothes than a robe?"

"Yes, it went ropes to pyjamas and a blanket, rather than robe to nothing again."

"Ah, I see. Good point. Well, you look very nice. I didn't make you have to go out and get something, did I? I wondered when Red asked me about where we were going and what sort of dress code was appropriate."

Cloud shook his head. "Benefit of living with a million guys. We don't have a lot individually, but everyone teamed up to crowd source an outfit. And style my hair. And give me a mani-pedi. And a facial. I'm lucky I didn't end up in makeup."

Sephiroth laughed, picturing the chaos that must have been. He supposed that they didn't have dates very often, and it was probably a source of great entertainment for the dorm.

"You look good in clothes too," Cloud said with a smile.

"We're really classing it up this time." Sephiroth reached out and took Cloud's hand. A warm feeling curled in his stomach when Cloud squeezed back. “So we’re going to a place called Robson’s, and I picked it because it’s a set meal. They usually give a choice between a type of meat or fish, and everything else is chosen for you.”

“I don’t need to read the menu?”

“There isn’t one, so no. You don’t even have to choose your drinks unless you don’t want wine. They have a sommelier who picks the appropriate pairing for each course.”

“Wow. I don’t know what a sommelier is, but it sounds fancy.”

Sephiroth laughed. “A professional wine snob. It is a pretty fancy place, but don’t worry about anything. Just relax and enjoy yourself.”

Cloud treated him to another blushing smile. “I’ll try my best.”

***

“Can I buy you a hot chocolate?” Cloud asked, pointing to the stall selling warm drinks.

“I’d love that, thank you.” Sephiroth smiled at the look of joy on Cloud’s face as he let go of his hand and ran up to the stall. He had noticed Cloud struggling when they got the bill at the restaurant, clearly wanting to offer to pay, but understanding that he wouldn’t be able to afford it. It made him happy to be able to treat Cloud, but he understood wanting to contribute as well, especially considering Cloud’s work. He didn’t want Cloud feeling like he was trying to buy his affections. 

He took one of the hot cups gratefully when Cloud came back. “Thank you. Should we sit down?”

They found a vacant bench and Sephiroth wrapped an arm around Cloud’s shoulders and tucked him in close to his side. “Warm enough?”

“Yeah.” Cloud snuggled up and took a sip of his drink as he gazed at the lights. “It’s so pretty. I didn’t even know this was going on.”

“They do it every year,” Sephiroth said, “but I’ve never been. It’s better having someone to go with, I think.”

“I think you’re right.”

Sephiroth had to bite his tongue to resist suggesting that they come back for their anniversary. He knew that he was moving too fast. Several people had already said so, even those who didn’t know that he was a prostitute. There was just something that felt so right about Cloud, and he was certain that Cloud felt the same way. He didn’t want to come on too strong, however, so he sipped the hot chocolate Cloud had given him and held him in comfortable silence. 

When their drinks were gone, Sephiroth set the empty cup aside and held Cloud’s hand instead. His fingers were freezing and he clasped them between his palms to warm them up. He was about to reluctantly suggest that they head back when Cloud spoke, sounding shy.

“I … I wanted to give you something,” he said quietly.

Sephiroth sat up a bit straighter and frowned. “You don’t need to do that,” he said quickly. 

“I know, but … I wanted to.” Cloud pulled something out of his jacket pocket and turned away from him, hiding whatever it was with his body. He spent a minute or so fiddling, then took an audible breath. “It’s not much, but I thought maybe you could think of me when you look at it.”

Cloud held out a delicate rose and Sephiroth took it carefully, wondering how he had managed to get ahold of a rose, not to mention how it had survived being in his pocket all evening. When he noticed the weight and looked closer, however, he blinked in surprise. “Is this paper?”

Cloud gave a small nod. “Yeah. Some of the guys said that I should get you flowers, but they’re a bit beyond my budget. I’m kind of decent at origami, though, so I thought maybe you’d like one I made instead.”

Sephiroth spent several long moments staring at the intricate folds and curls of the paper, wondering how it was even possible to make such a thing. “Are you saying you _made_ this? This is incredible.”

He tore his eyes away from the rose to see Cloud blush and duck his chin into his collar. “You like it?”

“I love it. Thank you so much, Cloud, I’ll treasure it forever.” He ran his fingers carefully over the petals, marvelling at the tiny details that made it look so realistic. “Wait a second.” Sephiroth thought back to Tuesday night when he had carried Cloud to his room. Most of the flat surfaces in it had held what he had assumed was someone’s collection of figurines. He hadn’t looked particularly closely, but now that he thought about it, they had been matte like paper, and only one or two colours. “In your room … did you make all those models?”

“Yeah. My mom … she got me this book when I was little. It had diagrams showing how to fold a square of paper to make different things. It was one of the only things that didn’t make me feel dumb, and I went through as much paper as she’d buy me. I started making my own designs once I’d mastered everything in the book. When I was homeless, it was stupid, but sometimes I’d buy paper even though I couldn’t actually afford it. It just made me so happy to be able to make something. Once I started working at the museum, I started making bigger and more intricate designs. A lot of the guys like them, so they give me places to display them and don't mind if I take up a table in the dining room prepping paper. Sometimes they even get me paper in exchange for making something specific.”

“So you created the design yourself? Not following a pattern or something?” Sephiroth looked at the rose with an even greater sense of awe.

“No, I learn new techniques from books at the library, but I haven’t used patterns since the book my mom got me.”

Sephiroth leaned over and kissed the top of Cloud’s head. “You are an incredibly talented artist. Thank you so much for this. I’ll display it proudly.”

Cloud gave him a shy smile. “I’m glad you like it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so hot! This is the first time I've been in Japan in August in 4 years and it's terrible!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the gun violence tag comes in.
> 
> Happy International My Power Didn't Get Cut Off Day! In celebration, here is the next chapter a day early.

Sephiroth leaned casually against the back wall of the exhibition room. Cloud was hanging suspended above the stage, looking absolutely beautiful with the complex network of black ropes against his pale skin. His breathing was slow and relaxed, despite the painful position his body had been contorted into. Rod was watching him carefully for any signs of distress, and knowing that helped Sephiroth relax and enjoy it. 

He sighed, however, as a tour group came in, led by Red. The five men started chatting amongst themselves, gawking at Cloud. 

"Voices down, gentlemen." It seemed like the group was together and also like Red had given that reminder a number of times already. "The exhibit's in a sort of meditative state, and we don't want to disturb him and ruin the exhibition."

They quieted a bit and Red came over and leaned against the wall next to him. "How's it going?"

"Fine, I guess."

"You guess?"

"It's getting hard ... sharing him."

"Has he said anything to you about leaving?"

"Yes. He's just scared. I'm hoping that after he gets his diploma he'll have the confidence." Cloud had cut back his hours quite a bit. Saturdays were the only full days he worked now, and he did half days on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He still met with his reading tutor once every other week on Mondays, and went to evening classes five nights a week, studying for his high school equivalency tests. It made it difficult for them to get together, but they had a standing Sunday date, and Sephiroth came to the museum most Saturdays. 

"I'm sure he will." Red patted his arm and pushed away from the wall, shuffling his group along.

He would. When he was ready, he would. He had already achieved so much in the eight months since they'd met. Sephiroth didn't mind being patient, it was just hard sometimes. 

A steady flow of traffic moved through the room. Saturdays were always busy, and there was a special exhibition in the evening that had probably brought in some extra bodies. He looked at his wristband for the time. Cloud was due to come down soon, and he'd join him in back for his aftercare and a bit of lunch. 

Sephiroth frowned when he noticed a man with his robe completely open, fiddling with something behind his back. He wasn't using a depository, and Sephiroth couldn't think of any other reason to have his robe open like that. He was about to turn to get the attention of a curator when the man brought his hands out from behind his back.

"Get down!" he bellowed, moving before he had finished shouting. 

Sephiroth took the shortest route to get between Cloud, who was completely helpless, and the gun, then pivoted and barrelled towards the man, even as he began firing. 

He felt bullets impact with every shot and smiled menacingly at the man moments before he collided with him, knocking him down. Every bullet he took meant that someone else didn't get hit. But he could hear more gunshots and screaming from elsewhere in the building.

"Get Cloud down!" he said as he broke the shooter's neck and snatched up the weapon, unloading it. He turned to see Rod frantically untying the main support rope, then Cloud, whose eyes were wide with terror, fell to the stage with a painful thud. He knew he couldn't stay, but he ran over and took the emergency scissors from Rod, whose hands were shaking with fear.

"What do we do?"

He looked at the terrified people in the room and formulated a plan. He needed to neutralize the other shooters, but he needed Cloud safe. He cut through Cloud's ropes with an efficiency that Rod wouldn't have been able to manage. 

"Take—"

"Sephiroth! Is everyone—"

"Quiet," Sephiroth said firmly as Red burst in, pulling two exhibits with him with another two following. None appeared injured. He gave Cloud's shoulder a squeeze, then turned to the depositories in the room and got them up and out of their headgear as he gave his instructions. "Reno, Rodger, take these people to the back and barricade yourselves in one of the storage rooms with no windows. Don't open it for any reason. Stay away from the walls, and stay quiet. Protect yourselves first."

With that, he got up and turned to the exit where he could hear the closest gunfire. 

"Sephiroth!"

He didn't look back. "I love you, Cloud, and I'm going to be fine, but I need to go help. Go hide."

He followed the screaming as best he could. The museum was like a maze, with multiple entrances to each room and branching paths. And the hostile targets looked the same as the innocent clients. At least the museum staff were recognizable. He came across a fleeing group and sent them the way he had come, then followed their panicked directions. 

There had been a puppy play exhibition going on, and Sephiroth snarled as he saw the bleeding bodies of the exhibits and curators. He had nothing on him he could use to help if they were still alive, so he ran past and heard a shout.

"This is divine punishment for your sins! Those who debauch themselves and live in such wanton sin deserve to die!"

Sephiroth didn't slow as he entered the room, taking everything in. Multiple bodies on the floor. A naked exhibit kneeling with a gun pointed at his forehead. One live target.

The target didn't remain alive for much longer. 

"Get in the back," he said quickly to the exhibit, pulling the remaining straps off him. “Hide.” It was the small boy who could take the massive dildo. Sephiroth had never properly met him, but knew he was a friend of Cloud’s. He got him up and urged him towards the door that lead to the back rooms.

Out in the hall again, he ran across a familiar face.

"Second Class Kunsel," he said, drawing the man's attention.

"Se—General Sephiroth?"

"Situation report."

Kunsel went into his professional mode immediately. "The way behind me is clear. Police have been contacted. Two Thirds are guarding that corner room in the back, where they've got the poles. I've been sending the survivors I come across there. Two Seconds went the opposite direction as me and are doing the same."

"Good. I went counter-clockwise from the shibari exhibition, so I'll go back from there. Here's my wristband. Go get my materia bangle from my locker; there's a restore in it. Don't heal anyone completely in case of complications, but stabilize people who are injured."

"Yes, sir."

He cut through the lounge and ignored the people hiding behind the bar. With the additional SOLDIERS, they could cover more ground and quickly find all the remaining targets. They'd be as safe there as anywhere else until the police arrived. He heard the shouting increase to his right and headed there.

In the room where he had first met Cloud, he encountered a mass of people fighting to hold someone down. Sephiroth quickly ran over and kicked away the gun that the man was struggling to reach. He grabbed the man's head and slammed it into the ground until he fell limp. 

"Valentine, please!" 

Sephiroth whipped around to see three employees huddled around someone lying prone on the floor. "Move." He shoved an exhibit out of the way and knelt next to Valentine, who was coughing up blood.

“Was aiming for—” He coughed violently. “For my boys.”

Wasting no time, Sephiroth pulled off his robe and pressed it into the multiple wounds in the man’s torso. "Press here, keep the pressure on," he said to the curator, then turned to the crying exhibit he recognized now. "Dan, keep his head steady and tilted to the side so he doesn't choke. Help is coming."

"He ran in front of us," Dan sobbed.

"Help is coming," Sephiroth repeated. "Just stay with him until then."

"Will he be okay?"

Sephiroth squeezed his hand tightly. "Help him fight. He needs your help."

As he stood, he heard people identifying themselves as police and shouting for people to drop their weapons and show their hands.

"General Sephiroth!" Kunsel’s voice was loud and clear and he ran towards it, heedless of his nudity. Kunsel spotted him as soon as he entered the lounge and ran over. "Here are your pants. Any injured?" 

"Behind me. The owner, Valentine. Unconscious suspect as well." Sephiroth gratefully pulled on his pants as he watched the police swarming out to the side rooms and beginning to move survivors out, then moved on, trusting that Kunsel could handle stabilizing Valentine's injuries. 

He stepped into the scat room and stopped with his heart in his throat. P had been out for what ended up being his last performance. Blood and faeces dripped down the plastic covered table and onto the stage. He had clearly been killed before he finished, but his body had released itself upon death. A tiny whimper distracted him from the gruesome scene and he scanned the area, spotting two more bodies and two exhibits clinging to each other in the corner. 

They had been on depository duty and still had their headgear on, though he could see that one's ear covering was knocked aside. 

"It's okay," he said softly as he approached the terrified pair. "You're safe now. It's Sephiroth, do you know who I am?"

The young man who could hear nodded. 

"Okay, come with me. Keep your blindfolds in place for now. You're safe." Sephiroth eased them up and nudged them ahead of him, guiding them gently. He didn't want to let them see the bodies. He did push the other’s ear cover off, however. "It's okay," he murmured again.

Paramedics were there when he got the pair out, and someone quickly came over with blankets and started helping them out of their head gear.

"Anyone else in there?" a police officer asked.

"No more survivors," Sephiroth said quietly. "Has anyone been brought out of the back yet?"

"It's being searched." The officer was falling back on their usual reliance on Shinra forces to take command and didn't question Sephiroth's involvement despite his half-dressed state. "There are some barricaded rooms that haven't been opened yet."

Valentine was still being worked on, but it looked like the other survivors there had been taken care of. He turned to go find Cloud.

He traced the steps the group would have followed to the nearest store room and found a group of officers trying to get whomever was barricaded on the other side to let them in.

"The area is secured, it's safe to come out now."

There was no response from the other side and Sephiroth smiled. Those boys knew how to survive. They were okay, he was certain. 

"Cloud?" he called out. "It's Sephiroth. Are you in there? It's safe now."

"No, how do you know it's him?" Someone on the other side whispered, too quietly for the unenhanced officers to hear.

"Cloud, you have a maths test on Monday that you're panicking about and an oral presentation about the environmental effects of the adoption of mako as a fuel source on Tuesday that you're panicking more about. You—"

"Let go of him!" There was a dull thud.

"We're coming out, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth's heart felt slightly lighter upon hearing Cloud's voice. He sounded scared, but not hurt. It sounded like they were moving some heavy furniture out of the way and it took a while, but eventually the door opened a crack.

“Sephiroth?”

“Here, love.” He pushed the door open the rest of the way and embraced Cloud, who appeared to be wearing Red’s jacket. It was big on him and offered him a bit of modesty. “I’m so sorry I left you, but I had to help. Are you hurt?”

Cloud shook his head. “Is everyone okay?”

He took a deep breath. “No. I’m so sorry, but lots of people got hurt. Everything’s still really confused though, so we don’t know who exactly yet.”

“General Sephiroth, sir, do you have orders?”

Sephiroth turned to glare at the officer behind him. “I’m not in charge of this scene,” he snapped. “Go ask your CO.”

“But—”

He turned back to the little group of exhibits and curators that had gathered around him, seeking comfort and reassurance. “Are any of you hurt?”

They all shook their heads and huddled closer, holding each other tightly. Sephiroth grabbed Rod’s hand and pulled him close, giving him a one-armed hug. “Thank you for getting him down. That was so brave of you.”

Rod gave a helpless laugh. “Thanks for blocking the bullets.”

“Bullets?” Cloud asked. “You got shot?”

“Already healed, don’t worry.” He assumed so, at least. He supposed he should probably check at some point. “Let’s go see if we can find the others.”

Three hours later, things had barely calmed down. Reporters were swarming and he’d heard more misinformation than he could fathom. A great many of the complaints people had about Shinra’s rather hostile takeover of the city were valid, but a lack of efficiency and organization in a crisis wasn’t one of them. He wanted to bring SOLDIER in. He sat on the sidewalk with Cloud sitting dazedly in his lap and a blanket wrapped around them, considering his options.

How long were they going to sit out here for? The dormitories where most of the employees lived had been evacuated as well. There would be no going back there tonight, or anytime soon, and it didn’t seem like many of the responders had considered the fact that this was their home in addition to being ‘some sort of sex club’.

“Reno, who takes over when Valentine’s not around?” Everyone had taken the news of Valentine hard, and they still didn’t have any word on his condition. 

Reno looked up from the probably very cold cup of hot chocolate he was staring at. “Uh, Veldt, but I think he was hurt too.”

“Okay. Kunsel.”

The SOLDIERS who had been at the museum had taken it upon themselves to gather together all the staff and help out where they could. “Yes, sir?”

“I want a headcount of the survivors. Just numbers for now, but be prepared to start a list of names after.”

“Everyone or just—”

“Just these guys. The clients have people looking after them.” He knew it was just the way of things, but it infuriated him that the people in charge were focusing on the wealthy clients and ignoring the other victims. “I’m going to arrange a place for them to stay.”

“How?”

Sephiroth sighed and rubbed Cloud’s back. He hated doing this. “I’m going to make a press statement. Get the police to hand over any information they have. Nice, factual statements that sound good at a press conference. And I want to start getting information on the injured. Find out who’s where and what their statuses are. I—wait a minute. Has anyone seen … Cloud, who’s the exhibit that does the massive dildo and the cock and ball torture?”

Cloud blinked and looked up at him. “Nikki?”

“Has anyone seen Nikki?” he stood with Cloud still in his arms and shouted. He got no positive response as the survivors all looked around. “I told him to hide,” he explained to the people who were listening curiously. “I just hope he hid too well. I’ll be back. Cloud, can you stay with Rodger?”

It looked like it was a struggle for him to do so, but Cloud nodded and let go of him to go sit next to Rodger. “Please find him.”

“Kunsel, get on those tasks. I’ll be back shortly.”

“Yes, sir. Good luck.”

Sephiroth grabbed another blanket and bullied his way past the guards that had been set up at the entrance, then made his way back to where he had found Nikki. He broke through the door the exhibit had gone through to get to the back rooms and shouted, "Nikki! Nikki, it's over now. It's safe to come out."

He paused to listen carefully, but heard nothing, so he continued on checking an empty shower room, then a storage room, shouting for Nikki again and again. He was just leaving the storage room when he heard a noise and turned back to see a panel in the ceiling open. Nikki was bloodstained and crying silently as he crawled onto the shelf that he must have climbed to get up there.

"It's okay now, Nikki," he said gently, though he was raging internally. How had the police not found him earlier? "Come down and we'll get you taken care of."

Nikki was partway down the shelf when he slipped, and Sephiroth darted forwards to catch him as he fell. He wrapped the shaking boy up in the blanket he had brought and hugged him tightly. 

"It's okay. It's okay. You're safe now."

"Guess I can't think you're creepy for stalking Cloud now, can I? Is he okay?"

Sephiroth smiled and lifted Nikki up. "He’s okay, and you can if you want, I won't hold it against you. But I do love him very much, and I don’t think he minds being stalked."

When Nikki was safely entrusted to a paramedic, Kunsel approached with a sheet of paper containing the information gathered by police so far. 

"We've got word that Valentine is alive and in surgery," he said. "Still tracking down the other injured. Do you want the headcount now?"

"After I give the press statement. Thank you. Dismissed."

He stopped by where Cloud was and reassured them that Nikki was alive and gave them the update on Valentine before standing again. He stepped past the police barricade and found a fire hydrant to stand on, making himself visible. "Excuse me!" he shouted.

That attracted the attention of nearly everyone around, and the reporters flocked over to him like pigeons going for a piece of bread. 

"I'd like to make a statement," he said before he hopped down.

"General Sephiroth, can you tell us what happened here? Why is SOLDIER involved in a civilian matter? Were there monsters involved?"

Yes. There were. Out loud, he said, "I said statement, no questions. At approximately 12:50 this afternoon, seven men opened fire on the employees and clients of the establishment behind me. The Living Museum is a brothel cum erotic arts show for homosexual men. The gunmen were located at various points throughout the building, and they attacked simultaneously. Police have determined that the main targets were the performing members of staff, and there is believed to be a homophobic motivation to the attack. 

"We do not yet know how many people were killed or injured, but updates will be provided when they are available and it is appropriate to release them to the public. We can confirm that five of the seven shooters were killed during the incident, and the two remaining are in police custody. 

"At this time, SOLDIER is not officially involved in the investigation. There were, however, several members of SOLDIER in attendance at the time of the attack, including myself, and we worked to secure the situation until the police could arrive."

That statement brought on a flurry of questions from the reporters, but Sephiroth simply crossed his arms and refused to speak until they quieted again.

"While SOLDIER is not involved, Shinra has kindly stepped forward to offer the survivors shelter, as the museum serves as a home for the workers as well, and they are unable to return to it at this time. They will be housed in a secure facility on the Shinra compound and provided with the resources they need to begin their recovery. Thank you."

His PHS began ringing as he stepped back over the police line, ignoring the reporters' questions. Kunsel shook his head and handed over the headcount. "Lazard is going to kill you."

"Nonsense. It's good PR taking in the victims of such a horrific event. I expect he's calling to thank me." Sephiroth took out his phone, which did indeed have Lazard up on the call display. 

Since he had made it public that it was already a done deal, Lazard could hardly deny him the request, and grudgingly agreed that the survivors could use the newly built, but as yet unoccupied infantry barracks. He arranged for transports to move them, and agreed to bring in grief counsellors. Feeling relieved that his plan had worked, Sephiroth moved from group to group to inform them of the plan and reassure them that they would be taken care of until Valentine was able to take charge again.

When the transportation finally arrived, he got everyone loaded up, then carried Cloud with him to ride in the front of one of the trucks. Cloud's eyes were red from crying, and he slumped against him, completely exhausted.


	5. Chapter 5

“I said no!”

Zack whipped his head around at the shout. Some blond guy was shoving a business man away from him.

“Touch me again and I’m calling the cops!”

He ran over to the pair. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, he’s just being fussy,” the business man said quickly, but he paled when the blond pulled out a phone and started dialling. Zack saw a can of mace in his other hand.

“I’m not fucking fussy, you’re harassing me. Fuck off, don’t touch me. I said no.”

Zack pushed himself between them and braced himself. “Look, you should go. He said no pretty damn clearly, so whatever you’re offering, I don’t think he’s too keen on it. Get out of here.”

The man huffed and turned away. “I know you’re a whore,” he said as he stomped off. “I’d recognize you any day.”

“The fuck?” Zack turned back to the blond, who had slumped against a shop window while shoving the mace back into the drink pocket of his backpack.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. SOLDIER Third Class, Zack Fair. Gotta say, I tend to prefer rescuing damsels, but I hope I helped. Are you okay?”

The blond laughed. “Cloud. And yeah, I’m fine.”

“You sure? You look pretty shaken up.”

“I’m sure. I’m just going to call someone to pick me up.”

“Okay, I’ll wait with you till then. There’s a coffee shop across the street. How long until they can get here?”

Cloud blinked at him a few times, then looked at his phone. “Probably long enough for a coffee, but you don’t have to stay.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind at all. Call your friend. Coffee’s my treat.”

Cloud gave him a small smile. “All right, but at least let me buy your coffee as thanks.” He quickly punched in a number and held the phone to his ear as it started ringing.

“Cloud?”

It was so cool how he could just hear shit like that now.

“Hey, um, sorry to bother you at work, but can you come get me?”

“Of course, are you okay?”

“A guy recognized me … from before and wanted—”

“Are you somewhere safe? Can you get to the nearest guard station?”

Zack’s eyebrows raised at the reaction. Just where exactly had the man recognized Cloud from?

“I’m safe. A SOLDIER helped me out and scared the guy off. He said he’d wait with me until you get here.”

The person on the other end of the line heaved a sigh of relief. “Okay. Where are you?”

Cloud looked at the street signs and gave him the location, saying he’d wait in the coffee shop.

“I’m on my way. I’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks.” Cloud hung up and gave him another smile. “He’s coming right away. It’ll probably take him around fifteen minutes with the traffic this time of day.”

“Cool, let’s grab that coffee.”

“So, are you in college or something?” Zack asked once they had gotten their drinks and found a table. He gestured at the heavy-looking backpack Cloud had plonked down by his chair.

“Yeah. Never thought there’d be so many books you have to read about aircraft maintenance. It’s killing me.”

“Aircraft maintenance? Like fixing airships and stuff? That’s so cool!”

Cloud grinned. “Yeah, its all right. They say grads are pretty much guaranteed jobs at Shinra. I graduate next year, so I’m hoping there’s still demand then.”

“I’m sure there will be. Seems to me like Shinra’s just going to keep expanding. And hey, now you know someone on the inside. I can put in a good word for you and show you around once you’re hired.”

For some reason, that made Cloud laugh, but he smiled gratefully as well. “Thanks, I’d appreciate having a friend there.”

“Then give me your number and we’ll keep in touch.” Zack handed over his phone for Cloud to enter his details. “Holy shit, Cloud, turn around slowly. You’ll never believe who just walked in.”

Cloud looked over his shoulder. “Oh, Sephiroth, over here.” He waved and the motherfucking _General_ , in full uniform, less the sword, walked over to their table.

“Hey, sorry I took so long.” General Sephiroth rubbed Cloud’s shoulder and leaned down to press his lips to the top of his head. Was he supposed to salute in a situation like this? “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Cloud assured him. “It just shook me up. It’s been so long since someone out in public recognized me and actually _said_ something. I’ll go home a different way tomorrow. I only came this way because I stopped by the art store. This is Zack Fair. SOLDIER Third Class.”

General Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at Cloud, as though he was silently questioning why Cloud had told him a SOLDIER had helped him when he was just a Third and barely worthy of the title. Gaia, no wonder Cloud had laughed when he said he’d put in a word for him. The legend slowly turned towards him.

“Zack, thank you. I’m always happy to see my men willing to help someone in need.” General Sephiroth extended his hand and Zack forced himself to move to shake it.

“No—not a problem, sir.”

“Were you on patrol?”

“No, sir. Just heading back to the Shinra compound for training, actually.”

“Then let me give you a ride back.”

Zack’s eyes went wide. A ride? From General Sephiroth? “You don’t have to do that, sir.”

“I insist. If we’re going to the same place, there’s no reason you shouldn’t come with us. I just need to drop Cloud off at home and then I’m going back to HQ.”

“All—All right. Thank you, sir.”

Cloud gave him an apologetic grin as they left the shop. “Sorry, I forget he’s intimidating, especially when he’s sprung on new SOLDIERS.”

“How do you forget he’s intimidating?” Zack whispered.

Cloud shrugged. “He’s just Sephiroth to me. I mean, the second time I met him I had to help him untangle his hair.”

“Please don’t tell stories about me to the Thirds, Cloud.”

“But it’s so much fun,” he said with a wicked laugh. “It gave us a fairly non-intimidating start. Plus, he's not my boss. I think that helps.”

Sephiroth drove a beat-up truck that looked like it was more used to hauling furniture than people. Zack squeezed into the back seat next to some quilted padding and industrial straps.

"Sorry about the mess." Cloud twisted around in his seat and handed back his phone, which had Cloud Strife and a phone number displayed.

"You guys run a moving company on the side or something?" he joked.

"Of a sort, I guess. We buy a lot of second hand furniture, that's for sure." Cloud turned back and switched the radio from classical to rock, prompting a groan from Sephiroth, but he didn't complain otherwise.

"Much homework tonight?" he asked instead.

"Ugh. Just a couple small assignments, but I have to read two huge chapters from the text by Friday. The one that isn’t digitized."

"Do you need some help?"

"Would you?" Cloud sounded relieved.

"Of course. Let's read one chapter tonight and the other tomorrow. Then you'll have time to review the important parts on Thursday."

A thought slowly dawned on Zack. He supposed it should have been obvious from the kiss, but apparently the shock of meeting Sephiroth had made him slow. He had never thought that the leader of SOLDIER might be ... Was it rude to ask?

"Are you guys dating?" he blurted out before he could convince himself not to.

Sephiroth pulled to a stop at a red light and turned around, giving him a deathly cool stare. The only thing that kept him from panicking was the fact the Cloud had burst out laughing.

"Do you have a problem with me being gay?" Sephiroth asked menacingly.

"No, sir," Zack said quickly. "Not at all."

"Sephiroth, stop being scary." Cloud held up his left hand and Zack noticed the gold band on it. A glance at the steering wheel showed a matching band on Sephiroth's ring finger. "It was love at first sight."

"It was not."

"Okay, lust at first sight, love at second."

Sephiroth sighed as he turned down a residential street, but it didn't seem like he was going to argue with that assessment.

"Do you have an idea for dinner or should I pick something up?" he asked when he pulled to a stop in front of a small, but cozy-looking bungalow with a well-tended flower garden.

"I was thinking I’d make spaghetti. Home around seven?"

Sephiroth nodded. "If it changes, I'll let you know. Love you." He leaned over and gave Cloud a quick kiss before he opened the door.

"Love you too. Thanks for picking me up. Oh, my suggestion for next month.” Cloud hauled a piece of paper out of his bag and put it on the dashboard. “Thanks again, Zack. Give me a call sometime and let's hang out."

"Definitely."

"You might as well move up to the front," Sephiroth said as he switched the music back to classical and looked at the paper Cloud had left. "It's not far to Shinra, but it's not comfortable back there. Pottery …”

“Pottery?” he asked as he climbed into the front of the cab. The paper was an advertisement for a beginner’s pottery class at Midgar Technical College.

“To keep ourselves from getting stuck in a routine, Cloud and I like to try out different activities every few months. Apparently he’d like me to show off my lack of artistic skills again.”

"Apologies, sir, I didn't mean to pry into your personal life."

Sephiroth shrugged. "It's been all over the news a few times in various forms. Not the pottery, but our relationship. I’m usually more surprised when people _don't_ know. I take it you're not from Midgar?"

"No, Gongaga, sir. I've been here three months."

"Ah, fresh meat. Are you enjoying SOLDIER?"

"Yes, sir. I hope to become a hero like you one day." Zack went beet red as soon as he said it. Gods, that sounded so lame.

"Well, if you work hard, I don't see why you can't. You've already gotten yourself off to a positive start."

"I have?"

Sephiroth turned and looked at him. "You helped Cloud. Apparently without knowing that he’s my partner." He looked back to the road and sighed. "That sort of shit happens to him … not infrequently. I’m very grateful for your intervention and will remember it."

"Why was that guy bothering him? Cloud said something about being recognized from before."

"That's a long story. It's common knowledge, though. Ask anyone from Midgar and they can probably give you their opinion on it. If you're interested, look up the Living Museum Shooting. There's an article from half a year ago by a journalist named Gainsborough that I think does a fairly decent job of explaining it. There's an interview with Cloud in it that explains his past a bit."

"A shooting?"

Sephiroth nodded as he pulled into the parking garage of HQ. "About two and a half years ago. Word of warning, you'll learn some things about me that you might wish you hadn't. It’s not exactly a secret, however, and you'll hear about it one way or another if you stay in SOLDIER for long enough."

***

Zack ditched his friends to go to the library of all places after he got off duty. He had wanted to ask someone, but the way Sephiroth had spoken made it seem like there were varying opinions on the event. He thought he should look up the article first and go from there. He had to ask the librarian to help him find the article, which just went to show how often he used the library considering how quickly she pulled it up after a quick search.

He took the magazine to a quiet corner that had some comfortable chairs and sat down to read. The header image caught his eye. It was a black and white picture of an X shaped cross with leather straps hanging from it sitting on a circular dais.

* * *

Recovering from a Living Nightmare: The Living Museum shooting two years on

Warning to readers: this article contains adult subject matter.

I'm not quite sure what to expect as I step through the doors that serve as the main entrance to the redesigned Living Museum. I've been informed that I am the first journalist to be granted permission to enter. Client and employee confidentiality is considered a key part of how the museum operates, and access is normally restricted to clients only.

It's early morning, three hours before the museum’s ten o'clock opening. The reception is quiet, but my guide for the day is waiting for me. He introduces himself as Red, and informs me that he has been working in various capacities at the museum for the past eight years. These days he's in charge of exhibition planning, and is delving into public relations, hence our meeting.

He leads me through the change rooms, where I inspect the elaborate masks worn by clients of the museum to protect their identities, through a set of metal detectors, which were installed prior to the museum’s reopening a year and a half ago, and into the quiet exhibit hall.

A few staff members are already working. Everything is cleaned overnight, and freshly sanitized equipment needs to be set up for the new day. I’m told that it has been renovated since the shooting two years ago. Instead of the sprawling maze it used to be, the number of rooms has been decreased and the layout streamlined. Red shows me how there are now heavy metal doors that can be shut and locked with a code. One of the issues that led to such high casualties during the shooting was that there were very few places that could be barricaded to keep the attackers out. Now any of the rooms can be turned into a safe room.

Red gives me some background information as we tour the hall. The Living Museum is a brothel of sorts for gay men. It was created nine years ago by Vincent Valentine, a former sex-worker, who wanted to create something similar to the Honeybee Inn. His dream was much bigger than that, however, as you’ll see in the following pages.

The prostitutes working here are called exhibits, and they put on sexual performances called exhibitions. The exhibitions cover almost all manner of kinks and fetishes, and include more vanilla acts as well. They’re overseen by employees referred to as curators, who assist with performances and monitor them for safety. Curators used to also monitor client behaviour and ensure the museum rules were followed, but that job has been taken over by the security guards stationed in each room.

The rules of the museum are extensive, and perhaps the one that outsiders like myself find the most surprising is that clients aren’t allowed to touch the exhibits unless a curator gives them permission. Most exhibitions are simply that: an exhibition. Sex between clients and exhibits only occurs when the exhibit is working as a ‘depository’.

Red watches me with a raised eyebrow, looking for my reaction, as he explains that depositories wear blindfolds and ear protection, and are stationed around the museum for clients to ‘deposit their loads into’. He shows me the stands that hold them, pictured right, and asks if I want to try one out. In the interest of making a full report, I have to give it a go, so I climb up and bend over the padded wedge, feeling thankful that there’s no one else in the room as I show off my buttocks. It’s quite comfortable, but I can’t imagine what it would feel like to be naked and unable to see or hear, waiting for a complete stranger to have sex with me.

Red explains that most exhibits meditate while they’re on depository duty—they even have classes to teach them how to do so. Clients aren’t permitted to try to bother them at all, so they’re able to relax and many say that they don’t even notice when they’re being used.

Moving on, Red takes me through a hidden door at the back of one of the exhibition rooms that leads into the behind-the-scenes area. Here there are prep rooms, shower rooms, storage rooms holding vast quantities of lubricant and sex toys, and a comfortable-looking break room. It has a dining area, couches, a TV and ping pong table, books and games, and there’s even a nap room next door. One table is taken up by a map of the world covered in brightly-coloured tokens. It has a sign taped to it that reads: ‘Game in progress. Do not touch on pain of death.’ I have to admit that I’m a little bit jealous of the break room, which makes Red laugh. “We work hard,” he tells me. We exit out the back and continue through a small courtyard and on to the dormitories.

There are three dormitories, and we go to dorm two, which houses the staff who work the Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday shift. Dorm one houses the Wednesday, Friday, Sunday shift, so they’re off today. Red explains that while employees are free to live outside the museum, most choose not to for both economic and personal reasons. Dorm three serves as a half-way house and emergency shelter for underage prostitutes, where they are given the support and assistance that they need to get out of the sex industry. It is off-limits to all but a select few staff members and outside social workers.

Compared to the quietness of the pre-opening hours of the museum, dorm two is a lively affair. If I didn’t know better, I might have assumed it was a university dormitory. Young men are gathered in the dining room, dressed mostly in pyjamas while they eat their provided breakfasts. Somebody curses the person who didn’t refill the coffee pot, and laughter fills the hall.

Among them are the survivors of the horrific massacre two years ago that claimed the lives of 17 exhibits, 8 curators, and 1 client, with dozens more injured. The attack was carried out by seven men who, based on statements from the surviving two, targeted the exhibits specifically, blaming them for ‘luring good men into temptation with their sinful ways’. They spent several weeks posing as clients and planning the attack, then smuggled in weapons by taping them to their backs.

Red introduces me to Exhibit Number NV-177, or N, who has agreed to speak with me about the shooting. Exhibits are all given a code instead of using their names, which seems dehumanizing to me, but they don’t seem to mind. “It protects our privacy,” explains N. “Curators and other people working the floor use nicknames, but the exhibit numbers go with the theme better. And we all know and use each other’s real names when we’re not working.”

I’m just about to ask N to tell me what he experienced during the shooting when a commotion erupts near the entrance. A visitor has arrived, and I recognize him immediately. He is the young man from the iconic image of General Sephiroth of SOLDIER sitting on a curb and cradling a survivor in his arms.

“That’s Cloud,” N tells me, “he left after the shooting, but he still comes back to visit. His husband is on the board of directors and runs the exit program.”

Red arranges for me to meet with Cloud after the others have gone to work, and N goes back to his story, which I have transcribed in full, barring edits for clarity.

“I was just starting the main exhibition I do when I heard some loud bangs. I wondered if something had gone wrong with another exhibition, but then people started screaming. There are always three curators [for my performance], two who work with me during it, and one who supervises the clients and depositories. We didn’t know what was wrong, but Moe said we should stop and go to the back rooms until we heard otherwise, so he and Raz started getting me down while Snow got the depositories up. They can’t hear, so they didn’t know something was wrong.

“The clients were all in a panic, demanding to know what was going on, when—I remember they had just lifted me off the dildo and set me down so they could untie me, when a client walked in from the left. He had a gun and shot the depository nearest him. Everyone started screaming. The clients ran, but the curators … they were so brave. I still couldn’t move, but Raz blocked me off with his body while Moe got me out of my harness. The guy with the gun yelled at him to move, but he refused.”

N stops and wipes some tears from his eyes.

“He died to protect me. Moe too. Snow was shot getting the depositories out. The gunman made me get on my knees. He screamed at me that I was a disgusting whore and deserved to die. He pointed the gun at my head and told me to admit my sins and beg for forgiveness. I was so scared.

“Then suddenly he was gone. I didn’t even see what happened, but the next thing I knew, Sephiroth, Cloud's boyfriend—husband now, was telling me to go hide. His mask was gone and he was all covered in blood, but he got me up and going in the right direction. I’m small, so I climbed up one of the shelving units in the back and hid in the ceiling. I was so scared. I hid there for three hours until I heard someone shouting my name. My real name. I knew it had to be someone from the museum, so I started to climb down, but my legs had cramped up and I fell. Sephiroth caught me before I hit the ground. He wrapped me up in a blanket and carried me outside to where everyone else was.

“There were so many heroes that day,” he says softly. “I’ll never forget what they did for me.” I ask N what made him want to return after the museum reopened, and he simply shrugs. “It’s my home. The people here are my family. Most everyone felt the same.”

It’s time for N to get ready for his day ahead, and so we bid farewell. I feel like I understand what N means when I see the camaraderie between the residents. Sex workers are some of the most vulnerable members of our society, often isolated and trapped in abusive situations. Here, however, I see happy, healthy people who care for and support each other. I speak briefly with a few others and get the same impression. The attack they survived shook their world, and they still feel the loss of their friends acutely, but they are a family and they are strong.

The following pages remember the victims who lost their lives due to the hatefulness of others. My interview with Cloud begins on page 59.

* * *

Zack found himself blinking back tears as he turned the pages, taking in the names and faces of the victims. He found Moe and Raz, with descriptions of their deeds, but not Snow, and thought he must have survived his injuries. Interspersed were pictures from the day of the shooting, and Zack found himself staring at the one of Sephiroth holding Cloud for several minutes. It was weird to think of General Sephiroth as the type of person who frequented a brothel, never mind being so open about it. Midgar was a crazy place.

He turned to page 59 and saw a recent picture of Cloud, who was posing somewhat awkwardly for the camera. The caption beneath it read: _Cloud Strife (26), smiles for a photo in his former dorm. Cloud worked as an exhibit at the Living Museum for nearly 5 years before beginning a new life away from the sex industry._

* * *

Aerith Gainsborough: Thank you for agreeing to speak with me, Cloud. Is it okay if I use your name?

Cloud Strife: Well, I'm not an exhibit anymore, so it would be weird to use my number. If you're asking about privacy, go ahead and print it. I don't mind people knowing who I am. I'm not ashamed of it.

AG: I understand that you used to be an exhibit here at the museum. What got you involved, and why did you leave?

CS: I'm not going to delve into ancient history, but basically, I was working as a prostitute on the streets when Valentine offered me a gig here. It sounded way safer and more stable than being on the streets, and so I took him up on it. It was a good job, and the people here gave me a sense of belonging. I loved it. As for why I left, I'd been thinking about doing so for a while, then the shooting happened and by the time the museum reopened, it wasn't the right fit for me anymore.

AG: Why were you thinking of leaving?

CS: My life was changing. I met a guy, a client, and I fell in love. He enabled me to learn to read, and I had started going to night school, studying to get my high school diploma. Both Valentine and Sephiroth—the guy—were encouraging me to go to college after. It was hard being with Sephiroth while I was working, and I knew it was hard for him as well, seeing me with other people. I was just scared to leave.

AG: Why were you scared? It sounds like people were quite supportive of you.

CS: It was a big change. What if it didn't work out? I’d gone my whole life thinking I was too stupid to read. What if I couldn't pass my tests or get a job? The museum was my home, my family. It was the only place I'd felt safe since my mother died when I was eight. But you're right, they were really supportive. I couldn't have done it without them.

AG: And it worked out?

CS: It worked out. After the shooting, I moved in with Sephiroth. I got a job as a custodian at the sports centre. I got my diploma. I testified against my pedophile uncle who sexually abused me and got him put in jail. I got into college. Just about to finish my first year with honours.

AG: Congratulations. Those are all huge accomplishments. And I can't help but notice the ring on your finger.

CS: We got married three months ago. Just a civil ceremony, but Valentine shut down the museum for the weekend and we had a huge party with everyone. He took my surname. I still can’t really believe that. He’s Sephiroth Strife now.

AG: Do other people who want to leave get similar levels of support?

CS: Well, I lucked out with Sephiroth. I needed a specialized private tutor to learn to read, and he paid for it and my night classes. I don’t think it was cheap. But yeah, there's support. Valentine was always willing to help us leave the industry if we asked, but since the shooting, it's become more formalized. Sephiroth took over for Valentine while he was in hospital, and once he got out, they found some other like-minded people and formed a board of directors. That meant that a lot of the work Valentine used to do on his own got spread out and he was able to start some initiatives that he hadn't had time or funding to do before.

AG: What sort of initiatives?

CS: Well, there's the youth support program, helping underage prostitutes to get out, as well as helping youth at risk of turning to sex work. There's the Paul Armand Memorial Foundation, which works with human trafficking victims. That’s Valentine’s pet project. The one I'm most familiar with is the one that Sephiroth runs and I help out with, which is the support system for people who want to leave the museum.

AG: Can you tell me more about that one?

CS: Sure. Sephiroth organizes training sessions where people can learn stuff like how to write a resume, apply for a job or school, do their taxes, that kind of thing. Today he's doing practice job interviews in dorm one. He brings in career counsellors and takes people to job fairs. There are money management, meal planning, and cooking classes. We help people find apartments and get them set up with the basics.

Most of us got into the industry when we were young, so things that might seem simple to other people are things we never had the opportunity to learn. So the support system tries to fill in those gaps, no matter how trivial they might seem. Even if someone needs practice making phone calls for appointments or something, we’ll help. And anyone can attend, not just people who want to leave. That way, when someone does want to go, it's not like, 'Oh, but I don't know how or where to start, and there’s such a long road ahead of me.' But rather, 'Right, I can do this. I just need a bit of support for the transition.'

AG: How old were you when you first started doing sex work?

CS: I'd rather not say. Not old enough by a long shot.

AG: Can you tell me about the day of the shooting? Were you involved?

CS: I was, though I spent nearly all of it barricaded in a storage room. I was doing a shibari exhibition.

AG: What's that?

CS: A type of rope bondage. I go into a kind of trance when I do it, and it takes me a while to recover and get my head on straight. I didn't properly understand what was happening at first, but Sephiroth had been watching me, and was able to respond quickly and kept the people in that room from getting hurt. He put my curator, Rod, and Red, who you know, in charge, and had us barricade ourselves in a storage room. There were, I think, sixteen of us. Eleven staff and five clients. We waited in there forever, not knowing what was going on or whether or not anyone else was safe until Sephiroth finally came back for us.

AG: Sephiroth didn't remain with you?

CS: Of course not. He's one of the strongest fighters in the world. There's no way he would have hidden while people were in danger and he could help. He saved a lot of people. So did the other SOLDIERs who were there. Apparently, the museum is pretty popular among SOLDIERs.

AG: Why would you say that is?

CS: I don't know, you'd have to ask a SOLDIER.

AG: All right. I understand that the museum experienced a fair bit of criticism after the shooting. Do you have anything to say in response?

CS: You mean the criticism that we deserved what we got? I mean, obviously I'm biased, but I don't think there's anything wrong with what the museum offers or the people who pay for it. Sex is a part of life, and everyone's a little bit kinky in one way or another. What's wrong with blowing off some steam or enjoying a show in a safe, private environment? Everyone who works here is willing, of legal age, and they don't do anything illegal. And it's not like they’re out on the street where anyone can come across it. Those guys had to deliberately dig up the information on the museum and pay to come here, which they did multiple times, and then they decide that _we're_ the ones who are in the wrong? **** that ****. If you don't like it, don't seek it out.

AG: Thanks, Cloud, I agree with you, and I hope the people who read this interview are able to see things the same way. The Living Museum isn't for everyone, but as you say, it's a safe environment that fulfills a need.

* * *

At the bottom of the interview was information on how to donate or get involved with the museum's non-profit initiatives as well as information on making a reservation for the museum itself. Zack felt shell-shocked. He could hardly believe that the bubbly young guy he'd met was a former sex worker who had not only survived such a horrific incident, but gone on to build a new life while still supporting his former co-workers. He thought back to the furniture moving paraphernalia in Sephiroth's truck that was obviously used in helping ex-employees set up their new homes.

He made a photocopy of the article and left the library before taking out his phone. He wondered if Sephiroth had told Cloud that he had told him to look up the incident. It seemed like Cloud was open about it, but he couldn't imagine it. What about the people he went to school with? Surely not everyone would be accepting. Well, he could be one of the people who was supportive, he decided, and found the number Cloud had given him.

There was no answer, but it was 7:30 and he assumed that Cloud and Sephiroth were eating their spaghetti dinner. He left a message instead.

"Hey, Cloud, it's Zack from this afternoon calling. I did some reading that Sephiroth recommended for me, and I was wondering if you guys need any help with your second hand furniture moving. I can't afford to donate anything right now, but I've got muscles and the occasion day off. Also if you want to grab some coffee again, or maybe catch a movie, that would be great. Give me a call."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cloud and Sephiroth are ridiculously domestic.
> 
> I remembered why I never posted this. I had no idea how to format this chapter. I usually put text in italics, but that was enough to make anyone's eyes bleed. Hopefully the horizontal line thingy worked for ya.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading, everyone! I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
